Articles  Published  in  the  Rhinebeck  Gazette 
October  3rd,  1914,  to  September  25th,  1915 


MAUNSELL  SCHIEFFELIN  CROSBY 


Illustrated  With  Photographs 

by  Members  of  the  Rhinebeck  Bird  Club 


TO  WHICH  IS  ADDED 

K HE  SECOND  ANNUAL  REPORT 
OF  THE  Ttfi INEBECK  S/RD  CLUB 


OTE  STORAGE 


(HE  UBisAHf 

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Photograph  by  M.  S.  Crosby 

BARRED  OWL  WITH  INJURED  WING 
Grasmere 


Photograph  by  M.  S.  Crosby 


MALE  BOBWHITE  STANDING  OVER  NEST 
Grasmere 


Rhinebeck 

Birds  and  Seasons 

ylrticles  Published  in  the  T^hineheck  Gazette 
October  3 , 1914 , to  September  25,  1915 

By  Maunsell  Schieffelin  Crosby 

Illustrated  With  Photographs 

by  Members  of  the  Rhinebeck  Bird  Club 


To  Whch  is  Added 


cC7ie  Second  Annual  Report  of  the 
Rhinebeck  Bird  Club 


PUBLISHED  BY 

THE  RHINEBECK  BIRD  CLUB 
Rhinebeck,  N.  Y. 

1916 


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Introduction 


SOME  people  think  that  almost  everything  worth 
knowing  about  our  native  birds  has  already  been 
discovered  and  printed  in  books.  As  a matter  of 
fact,  some  of  the  most  natural  questions  that  arise 
in  connection  with  bird-life  cannot  be  answered  by  even 
the  most  expert  students.  For  instance  who  can  say  how 
old  wild  birds  live  to  be ; just  where  our  chimney  swallows 
go  in  winter;  what  birds  of  all  that  have  lived  and  been 
reared  there  shall  occupy  the  old  phoebe’s  nest  this  sea- 
son; what  becomes  of  the  extra  birds  which  each  pair 
rear  every  year;  whether  male  birds  precede  the  females 
in  the  spring;  whether  birds  take  new  mates  each  season 
— or  answer  innumerable  similar  problems?  About  the 
mysteries  of  bird  migration,  especially,  there  is  much  still 
to  be  learned. 

There  is  but  one  way  to  add  to  our  knowledge  of  bird 
life,  and  that  is  by  the  systematic  placing  on  record  of  in- 
dividual observations.  If  only  we  had  access  to  the  note 
books  of  many  thousand  bird  lovers,  we  should  find  plenty 
of  truths  that  have  never  been  published. 

The  members  of  the  Rhinebeck  Bird  Club  realize 
that  in  Mr.  Maunsell  S.  Crosby  they  have  a bird  student 
and  field  worker  of  very  unusual  qualifications.  They  fur- 
ther realize  that  heretofore  the  published  records  of 
Dutchess  County  birds  have  been  most  meagre  and  that 
at  present  Mr.  Crosby  is  undoubtedly  doing  more  than  any 
one  man  to  place  our  beautiful  county  on  the  ornithologi- 
cal map.  The  excellent  articles  which  he  contributed  to 
The  Rhinebeck  Gazette  from  October  3,  1914  to  Septem- 
ber 25,  1915  are  of  such  merit  that  they  should  be  pre- 
served in  more  permanent  form.  The  Club  has  from  time 
to  time  received  requests  for  these  articles,  which  hither- 
to could  not  be  complied  with,  because  they  were  so  scat- 
tered. Although  Mr.  Crosby  informs  us  that  he  has 
improved  upon  many  of  the  records  since  they  were  pub- 
lished in  The  Gazette,  it  has  been  thought  wise  to  preserve 


59077 


them  just  as  they  appeared.  They  represent  the  personal 
field  work  of  the  author  and  comprise  his  best  observa- 
tions at  the  time  of  publication. 

Later  on,  we  have  reason  to  believe,  Mr.  Crosby  will 
be  in  a position  to  publish  some  very  complete  data  on 
the  subject  of  Dutchess  County  birds.  In  the  meantime 
the  Club  is  making  The  Gazette  articles  readily  accessible 
by  combining  them  in  the  same  covers  with  its  annual 
report.  Rhinebeck  bird  lovers  particularly  will  find  them 
invaluable  for  reference,  and,  it  is  hoped,  will  often  con- 
sult them. 

— C.  G.  A. 


Rhinebeck  Birds  and  Seasons 

By  MAUNSELL  SCHIEFFELIN  CROSBY 


Bird  Feeding  and  Care 

A number  of  residents  in  this  town  have  for  several  years  past 
fed  the  birds  regularly  in  winter  and  all  have  announced 
immediate  success  in  attracting  and  taming  the  various 
species  which  are  present  at  that  time  of  the  year.  Aside 
from  the  pleasure  of  feeding  and  watching  them,  there  is  the 
certainty  that  a number  are  thus  saved  to  live  and  multiply  the 
next  year;  for,  under  normal  conditions,  the  mortality  among  birds 
is  very  large,  especially  in  cold  weather. 

The  time  has  fortunately  passed  when  it  was  necessary  to  argue 
the  value  of  birds  and  prove  by  figures  that  they  are  worth  more 
than  the  bit  of  shot  it  takes  to  kill  them.  We  all  admit  their  econ- 
omic value  to  the  farmer  and  horticulturist  and  most  of  us  appreciate 
and  enjoy  their  presence  and  their  songs.  Few,  however,  have  the 
time  and  taste  to  study  them  and  to  become  acquainted  with 
them  without  making  a special  effort.  Yet  the  methods  of  taking 
care  of  them  are  really  very  simple  and  easy.  Two  cents  worth  of 
suet  tied  to  a tree  will  feed  several  woodpeckers,  nuthatches  and 
chickadees,  while  a handful  of  hayseed  and  crumbs  thrown  daily  on 
the  packed  snow  of  the  front  path  will  supply  a large  flock  of  tree 
sparrows,  juncos,  and  goldfinches.  Sunflower  seeds  are  appreciated 
by  all  kinds  of  wintering  birds  and  can  be  bought  cheaply  at  any 
feed  store. 

On  farms  a shock  of  unthreshed  grain  set  up  in  a sheltered 
spot  will  attract  our  few  surviving  bob-white  and  also  any  grouse, 
partridges  or  pheasants  that  may  be  about,  and  thus  keep  a supply  of 
food  on  hand  for  them  above  the  level  of  the  snow. 

Well-designed  feeding  tables  and  nesting  boxes  can  now  be  pur- 
chased from  a number  of  manufacturers.  Several  such  tables 
and  boxes  have  been  used  with  great  success  during  the  past  year  or 
two  at  Foxhollow  Farm  in  this  town,  and  anyone  who  did  not  wish  to 
buy  them  could  easily  make  effective  substitutes.  The  modern  cus- 
tom of  cementing  all  cavities  in  trees  drives  such  hole-nesting  birds 
as  the  bluebirds,  wrens,  nuthatches,  flickers,  woodpeckers  and  screech 
owls  elsewhere  in  search  of  homes,  unless  we  provide  boxes  to  take 
the  place  of  natural  hollow  trees.  Bird  baths  made  of  shallow  galvan- 
ized iron  trays  nearly  filled  with  gravel  have  also  been  freely  patron- 
ized the  past  summer  by  various  kinds  of  birds.  Such  a bath,  or  a 
deeper  one  of  cement,  which  could  contain  a few  aquatic  plants, 
would  add  greatly  to  the  attractiveness  of  any  garden  or  shrubbery. 
It  must  always  be  borne  in  mind,  however,  that  part  of  the  artificial 
pool  must  be  made  shallow  enough  with  heaped  up  gravel  for  a small 
bird  to  use,  about  a quarter  of  an  inch  deep  at  the  very  edge. 

In  fairness  to  the  birds,  we  should  not  try  to  attract  them  if 
cats  are  to  be  allowed  near  their  feeding,  bathing  or  breeding 


5 


grounds,  and  I hope  that  all  those  who  are  willing  to  help  the  birds 
this  coming  winter  and  next  spring,  will  do  their  best  to  eliminate 
the  birds’  worst  enemy  from  their  property.  It  would  be  far  better 
to  neglect  the  birds  than  to  entice  them  into  easy  reach  of  a cat’s 
ever  eager  claws. 

— October  3,  1914. 

Proposed  Work  of  the  Rhinebeck  Bird  Club 

A number  of  people  have  read  of  the  successful  launching  of 
the  Rhinebeck  Bird  Club  and  many  have  already  rallied  to  the  good 
cause  and  joined  its  ranks.  A few  remarks  as  to  its  purpose  and  ac- 
tivities should  interest  those  who  are  still  on  the  outside. 

According  to  its  constitution  the  objects  of  the  club  are:  the 
study  and  protection  of  our  birds,  and  the  stimulation  of  interest  in 
them  in  the  field,  in  the  home,  and  in  the  schools. 

The  study  of  birds  is  fascinating  in  a manner  that  can  be  under- 
stood only  by  those  who  have  actually  gone  into  the  garden  and 
woods  to  look  for  them.  Everything  concerning  them  is  interesting, 
much  is  delightful,  and  often  even  an  amateur  can  discover  some- 
thing that  is  entirely  new  and  of  vital  interest  to  all  ornithologists. 
The  study  of  the  hundreds  of  species  that  visit  us,  of  their  migrations, 
their  food,  their  mating  and  nesting,  their  various  plumages  and 
habits,  their  songs,  call  notes  and  cries  of  alarm,  provides  an 
unending  amount  of  entertainment  at  all  times  of  year  all  over  the 
country.  For  those  who  are  bored  or  tired  or  who  wish  they  were  in 
the  city,  it  is  a positive  cure-all.  Let  everyone  try  it  and  see! 

The  protection  of  birds  will  include  feeding,  planting  shrubbery, 
providing  nesting-boxes  and  bird  baths,  and  eliminating  the  English 
sparrow  and  red  squirrel.  The  boy  with  the  gun  will  be  shown  that 
he  can  have  ten  times  more  fun  with  five-dollar  field  glasses  or  camera 
than  with  a five-dollar  gun.  The  sportsman  will  be  shown  that  our 
quail,  partridge,  woodcock,  and  wood  duck  are  on  the  verge  of  ex- 
tinction and  that  the  smaller  his  bag  at  the  end  of  a hunt,  the  more 
it  will  be  to  his  credit  for  self-control,  while  the  pestiferous  jack- 
rabbits  are,  on  the  other  hand,  most  worthy  of  his  skill.  The  farmer 
will  be  shown  that  the  big,  sailing  hawks  are  his  very  best  friends  and 
that  only  the  small,  sly  and  swift  sharp-shinned,  Cooper  and  pigeon 
hawks,  and  the  very  rare  duck  hawks  and  goshawks  are  worthy  of  the 
name  of  “chicken  hawks.” 

By  getting  together  and  comparing  notes  and  ideas,  by  obtain- 
ing wholesale  prices  on  bird  food  and  bird  boxes,  by  occasionally 
enjoying  lectures  and  in  many  other  ways,  the  club  expects  to  stim- 
ulate interest  in  birds.  It  has  been  offered  space  in  The  Gazette  for 
timely  articles,  wholesale  rates  for  bird  food  by  a local  merchant, 
co-operation  on  the  part  of  the  Starr  Institute  in  the  establishment 
of  a “Bird  Shelf,”  and  much  valuable  advice  and  help  by  several 
prominent  ornithologists,  bird  clubs  and  societies. 

One  of  its  chief  functions  will  be  the  instruction  of  the  children 


G 


Photograph  by  Tracy  Dows 

FOOD  HOUSE  AND  STRAW  SHELTER 
Foxhollow  Farm 


Photograph  by  Tracy  Dows 


CHICKADEE  AT  WEATHER-VANE  FEEDING  TABLE 
Foxhollow  Farm 

7 


in  all  our  schools.  A junior  membership  for  those  up  to  the  age  of 
sixteen  years  has  been  established  at  the  nominal  cost  of  ten  cents, 
and  it  is  purposed  to  prepare  every  child  under  that  age  for  a career 
of  useful  active  membership  as  soon  as  he  or  she  becomes  eligible. 
The  system  of  instruction  used  by  the  National  Association  of 
Audubon  Societies  will  be  used  in  these  classes. 

The  children  will  study  birds  in  the  class,  with  the  aid  of  colored 
charts  and  other  drawings  and  will  identify  them  in  the  field.  Special 
walks  will  be  taken  by  both  teachers  and  pupils  as  well  as  by  members 
not  connected  with  the  schools.  In  this  way  a valuable  census  of 
birds  of  the  whole  township  will  be  taken,  and  the  results  will  be  sent 
to  the  Biological  Survey  in  Washington  to  be  filed  in  their  records. 

A census  will  be  made  for  the  magazine  “Bird-Lore”  on  Christ- 
mas Day,  and  as  many  as  possible  should  join  in  the  game.  Bird- 
Lore’s  motto  is  “A  bird  in  the  bush  is  worth  two  in  the  hand”  and  we 
are  sure  that  all  will  soon  agree  with  this  reversal  of  the  old  adage. 
If  however  we  can  succeed  in  coaxing  a bird  to  the  hand  by  kindness 
and  protection,  we  will  know  that  it  is  worth  a hundred  limp  and 
lifeless  bunches  of  mangled  feathers  shot  down  because  we  could  not 
think  of  any  other  way  of  amusing  ourselves. 

— December  12,  1914. 


Our  Winter  Birds — I 

Although  winter  is  the  off  season  for  birds,  it  is  in  every  way  the 
very  time  to  begin  to  study  them.  The  species  present  are  few  in 
number  and  in  consequence  there  will  be  much  less  confusion  in 
trying  to  identify  them.  There  are  probably  not  more  than  fifty 
species  that  can  be  seen  now,  instead  of  a hundred  and  fifty,  as  will 
be  the  case  when  spring  comes.  Any  beginner  who  identifies  more 
than  twenty  birds  before  the  first  of  March  will  have  made  a very 
good  start.  Hunger  makes  birds  tamer  and  at  this  season  we  can 
readily  approach  much  more  closely  to  them  than  at  any  other  time 
of  year.  The  snow  makes  a good  background  on  which  to  study 
them,  and  the  leafless  trees  and  bushes  prevent  their  hiding  them- 
selves from  our  gaze.  By  all  means  let  us  begin  now  and  try  to  go 
out  for  an  hour  or  two  in  the  morning  at  least  once  a week  and  get 
acquainted  with  our  sturdy  winter  friends. 

We  all  know  the  crow.  Put  it  down  as  species  number  one.  It 
has  a nearer  cousin  with  a hoarse  voice,  called  the  fish  crow,  and  they 
look  exactly  alike.  Are  we  sure  that  we  know  the  house  or  “English” 
sparrow  from  the  other  sparrows?  It  is  larger  than  most  other 
sparrows  and  the  male  has  a black  throat.  The  female  is  plain  brown 
above  and  gray  below.  We  are  not  likely  to  find  them  far  from 
buildings.  The  tree  sparrow  is  smaller,  has  a reddish  brown  cap, 
and  a faint  spot  on  the  breast.  It  looks  very  much  like  our  common 
summer  doorstep  chipping  sparrow  and  is  therefore  often  called  the 
“winter  chippy.”  It  has  sweet  tinkling  notes,  and  leaves  us  the  first 


8 


week  in  May  to  nest  farther  north.  It  returns  to  us  regularly  about 
the  first  of  November.  Very  often  it  is  in  company  with  the  junco 
or  snowbird,  which  comes  to  us  in  September  to  remain  until  May. 
The  male  junco  is  slate-colored  above,  on  the  head,  throat,  and  upper 
breast.  The  rest  of  the  underparts  are  white.  The  female  is  brown- 
ish instead  of  slaty.  Both  sexes  show  white  outer  tail  feathers  when 
they  fly.  The  two  last  mentioned  species  are  generally  seen  on  the 
ground  and  are  very  useful  in  devouring  weed  seeds. 

Two  other  birds  we  are  sure  to  meet  are  the  downy  and  hairy 
woodpeckers.  They  are  both  black  and  white  with  a white  streak 
down  the  back  and  long,  strong  beaks.  The  males  have  a small  red 
patch  on  the  back  of  the  head.  The  hairy  woodpecker  is  much  larger 
than  the  downy,  and  also  rarer  and  shyer.  Both  species  are  with  us 
the  whole  year  round,  and  are  almost  invariably  to  be  found  on  the 
trunk  or  larger  branches  of  trees,  hammering  away  for  dear  life 
to  reach  the  insects  under  the  bark. 

The  white-breasted  nuthatch  is  a handsome  little  bird  with 
feeding  habits  like  a woodpecker,  but  can  be  identified  by  the  fact 
that  it  frequently  works  head  downward,  while  the  woodpeckers  do 
not.  It  has  a bluish  back,  black  crown  on  its  head  and  white  cheeks 
and  underparts.  Its  note  is  a nasal  “ank,  ank.”  It  too  is  a permanent 
resident.  One  of  the  best  little  birds  in  every  way  is  the  cheerful 
chickadee.  Remaining  with  us  throughout  the  year,  tame  and  con- 
fiding, it  is  a universal  favorite.  With  back  of  gray,  cap  and  throat 
of  black  and  cheeks  and  underparts  of  white,  it  looks  like  a little 
ball  of  black  and  white  fluff  and  everyone  in  the  country  who  has 
ever  fed  birds  in  winter  has  had  it  as  his  most  regular  guest. 

The  brown  creeper  is  a little  brown,  mouse-like  winter  visitor 
with  a curved  bill,  which  crawls  up  trees  in  search  of  insects,  and  then 
suddenly  drops  off  and  starts  up  another  tree.  It  is  generally  found  in 
company  with  chickadees  and  nuthatches.  The  golden-crowned 
kinglet  is  also  here  in  winter.  It  is  the  tiniest  bird  we  have  next  to 
the  hummingbird  and  it  will  never  cease  to  be  a wonder  how  such  a 
mite  can  keep  alive  in  zero  weather. 

Two  birds  that  often  are,  but  never  should  be  confused  are  the 
blue  jay  and  the  bluebird.  The  former  is  a big,  blue  and  white 
cousin  of  the  crow.  It  is  with  us  the  year  round  and  is  especially 
noticeable  in  small  flocks  in  winter.  The  bluebird  is  much  smaller. 
The  male  has  the  upper  parts  of  the  deepest  blue,  and  a brick-red 
breast  and  white  belly.  Its  notes  are  a sweet,  plaintive  “far  away” 
call  and  a soft,  rich,  warbling  song.  The  female  is  bluish  but  much 
duller.  It  is  a cousin  of  the  robin,  and  like  the  robin,  is  with  us  most 
of  the  year,  but  very  seldom  seen  in  winter.  Both  the  robin  and 
bluebird  practically  disappear  after  Christmas,  and  are  not  likely  to 
return  before  February.  The  bluebird  always  comes  back  first. 

There  are  several  members  of  the  sparrow  family  besides  the 
tree  sparrow  and  junco  that  come  to  us  in  autumn  and  go  north  in 
spring.  An  exception  is  the  goldfinch,  which  is  generally  with  us  the 
j^ear  round,  but  which  in  its  dull,  brownish  winter  suit  is  likely  to  es- 
cape notice.  Its  sweet  canary-like  notes  and  undulating  flight,  during 


9 


which  it  cries  “per-chi-co-ree,”  will  help  to  identify  it.  The  purple 
finch  nests  as  far  south  as  the  Catskills  and  arrives  here  in  Septem- 
ber, to  leave  us  in  May.  Only  the  adult  males  are  highly  colored — a 
deep  rose-color,  not  “purple” — the  female  and  young  being  streaked 
with  brown.  They  have  thick  bills  and  sharply  forked  tails.  The 
redpoll  and  pine  siskin  often  visit  us  in  winter.  They  are  smaller 
than  the  purple  finch  and  also  have  forked  tails.  The  redpoll  has  a 
deep  rosy  crown  and  spot  on  the  throat  and  a pinkish  wash  on  the 
sides  of  the  breast.  The  siskin  is  greenish  above  and  streaked  below. 
The  former  feeds  chiefly  on  birch  seed,  the  latter  on  hemlock  seed. 
The  purple  finch  prefers  the  seed  clusters  of  the  white  ash.  Lastly, 
a beautiful  and  rather  unusual  apparition  is  the  transparent,  nearly 
white  snowflake,  also  called,  like  the  junco,  “snowbird.”  It  comes 
drifting  down  to  the  ground  like  a real  flake  of  snow,  and  cannot  be 
mistaken  for  any  other  bird. 

Another  occasional  winter  visitor  is  the  horned  lark,  a handsome 
cousin  of  the  famous  European  skylark.  It  wears  a black  bridle 
around  its  face,  and  two  little  black  “horns.”  Its  cheeks  and  throat 
are  yellow  and  its  back  is  brown.  It  does  not  hop  like  most  small 
birds,  but  walks  like  a blackbird. 

In  closing  it  would  be  well  to  mention  the  latest  addition  to 
the  established  species  in  New  York  State — the  starling,  which  was 
introduced  from  Europe  over  twenty  years  ago.  It  looks  black  but 
is  really  an  irridescent  green  and  brown,  with  buffy  tips  to  its 
feathers.  It  walks,  like  its  relation  the  meadowlark,  and  the  two 
are  sometimes  seen  feeding  on  the  ground  together  in  winter. 
The  latter  is  larger  and  brown,  with  two  white  patches  on 
the  outer  edges  of  the  tail  and  a yellow  breast  with  a black  “shield” 
on  it.  It  is  a native  American  bird  and  very  useful  to  the  farmer, 
whereas  the  starling  is  very  quarrelsome  and  appropriates  the  nest- 
holes  of  other  species,  such  as  the  flicker  and  bluebird.  It  is 
also  accused  of  damaging  fruit  and  of  eating  the  eggs  of  ground 
nesting  birds,  so  altogether  it  is  not  a desirable  neighbor. 

— December  19,1914. 


Our  Winter  Birds — II 

Besides  the  smaller  land  birds  previously  discovered  as  occurring* 
in  winter  there  are  several  kinds  of  waterfowl  and  game  birds  and 
numerous  hawks  and  owls  that  we  may  come  across  in  our  winter 
walks. 

A trip  over  the  ferry  or  a ride  on  the  railroad  when  the  river 
is  partly  open  will  very  likely  reward  us  with  several  species.  The 
slowly-flapping,  silvery  herring  gull  is  with  us  in  varying  numbers 
from  September  to  May  and  only  disappears  when  the  river  is  frozen 
solid.  That  large  handsome  black  and  white  duck  with  a dark  head, 
the  American  merganser  or  shelldrake,  and  less  commonly  his  crested 
cousin,  the  red-breasted  merganser,  arrive  much  later  but  also  remain 
until  May.  The  black  duck,  which  cannot  be  confused  with  any  other 


10 


species,  are  present  in  thousands  throughout  the  autumn  and  early 
winter,  but  disappear  in  the  very  coldest  weather  and  do  not  return 
till  March.  A few  may  very  likely  be  present  all  summer  in  some  of 
the  more  extensive  marshes  along  the  river,  for  I have  seen  a pair 
flying  at  Peekskill  early  in  August.  The  golden-eye  or  whistler  and 
little,  diving,  white-crested  bufflehead  or  butterball  duck  both  look 
black  and  white  and  are  often  to  be  seen  on  the  river  in  December. 

Our  two  standard  game  birds,  the  bobwhite  or  “quail”  and  the 
ruffed  grouse  or  “partridge”  are  rare  sights  nowadays.  The  former 
is  nearly  extinct  in  New  York  State,  but  with  suitable  protection 
the  latter  may  again  increase  in  numbers.  The  bobwhite  is  supposed 
to  be  the  most  useful  of  all  birds  and  destroys  an  incredible  number 
of  insects  or  weed-seeds  every  day  of  its  life.  Every  farmer  who  is 
lucky  enough  to  have  a flock  on  his  premises  should  protect  it  as  he 
would  his  horse  or  his  cow.  This  statement  sounds  strong,  but  it  is 
supported  by  facts.  During  the  past  three  or  four  years  a number 
of  ring-necked  pheasants  and  Hungarian  partridges  have  been  liber- 
ated south  of  this  village  and  we  should  all  co-operate  in  protecting 
them  and  giving  them  a chance  to  establish  themselves.  If  we  use 
self-restraint  for  a few  seasons,  we  ought  soon  to  have  a good  game 
country.  Anyone  who  finds  game  birds  in  his  vicinity  should  put  up 
a sheaf  of  unthreshed  wheat  so  that  they  can  feed  on  it  when  the 
ground  is  covered  with  snow,  and  thus  live  to  breed  another  year. 

To  turn  to  birds  of  prey.  Our  two  commonest  hawks  are  the 
red-shouldered  and  the  red-tailed  best  recognized  in  adult  plumage  by 
the  markings  that  give  them  their  names.  The  immature  specimens 
are  very  hard  to  identify.  They  are  both  big,  broad-winged,  sailing 
hawks  and  from  the  examination  of  countless  numbers  of  their  stom- 
achs have  been  proved  to  be  most  beneficial  to  the  farmer.  Their 
chief  food  consists  of  mice,  moles,  snakes,  insects  and  so  forth,  and 
only  in  the  rarest  instances  do  they  touch  birds  or  poultry,  yet  they 
are  universally  known  as  “hen  hawks”  and  “chicken  hawks.”  I have 
personally  had  a number  of  them  examined  and  not  one  had  eaten 
a bird.  Even  more  respectable  is  the  long-tailed,  silvery  marsh  hawk, 
which  lives  almost  entirely  on  mice.  It  flies  low  over  fields  and 
marshes  and  has  a rather  gull-like  appearance.  The  female  is  brown 
but  has  a large,  white  spot  at  the  base  of  the  tail.  The  common  little 
sparrow  hawk,  with  its  narrow  wings  curved  like  a bow,  is  a familiar 
sight.  Its  food  consists  mainly  of  insects  and  it  is  too  small  and 
peaceful  to  injure  the  poultryman.  The  real  villain  of  the  family 
is  the  Cooper’s  hawk,  a long-tailed,  medium  sized,  blue  bolt  which 
prefers  feathers  to  fur,  and  which  is  so  swift  as  generally  to  escape 
capture.  There  is  one  now  near  my  home  which  I one  day  saw  strike 
a robin  and  soon  after  found  carrying  off  a limp  blue  jay  nearly  as 
big  as  itself.  On  neither  occasion  was  I armed,  and  although  I have 
since  gone  out  to  capture  it,  it  has  so  far  eluded  me. 

The  rare  northern  goshawk  is  also  an  enemy  of  the  farmer,  but 
seldom  comes  here.  There  are  three  other  harmful  species,  the 
sharp-shin,  the  pigeon  hawk  and  the  duck  hawk,  but  I have  never 
found  them  in  winter  and  so  wdll  not  describe  them  until  later.  The 


11 


splendid  bald  eagle  occasionally  comes  over  from  the  Catskills  but 
our  national  bird  is  now  so  rare  as  to  deserve  complete  protection. 

So  much  for  the  day-light  mouse-destroyers.  When  night  comes 
the  owls  set  out  and  take  up  the  good  work  of  holding  in  check  the 
rodent  pests.  The  screech  owl  is  one  of  our  very  best  friends.  It 
may  occasionally  take  a small  bird  or  two,  but  it  does  not  hanker 
after  poultry  and  lives  principally  on  mice.  It  is  very  small  and  has 
two  ear-tufts  or  “horns,”  and  occurs  in  two  colors,  gray  and  bright 
brown.  The  gray  is  the  common  one  locally,  although  the  brown  and 
gray  are  often  found  in  the  same  nest.  The  barred  owl  is  much 
larger  and  is  commonly  known  as  the  “hoot  owl.”  It  is  mottled  a 
soft  gray  and  brown  and  has  a large,  round,  human  face.  It  too  is  a 
great  mouser  and  unlike  most  other  owls  often  flies  about  and  hoots 
loudly  in  the  daytime.  I have  had  a pair  and  their  descendants 
roosting  in  some  spruces  less  than  a hundred  yards  from  my  house 
for  the  last  thirteen  years  and  they  are  very  welcome  night-watchmen. 

The  great  horned  owl,  a splendid  big  fellow,  unfortunately  has 
a bad  record  and  although  it  does  a great  deal  of  good  I shall  not 
attempt  to  defend  it,  for  its  fondness  for  poultry  is  undeniable. 
Another  big  owl,  and  a very  beautiful  one,  is  the  snowy  owl,  a rare 
winter  visitor  from  the  far  north.  It  also  is  fond  of  poultry  but  is 
so  rare  as  barely  to  figure  in  the  scoring.  I have  only  two  records 
of  its  appearance  here  during  the  last  six  years  and  have  never  seen 
it  myself. 

— December  26,  1914. 


Our  Winter  Birds — III 

A number  of  common  summer  birds  which  usually  go  farther 
south  to  winter,  occasionally  remain  with  us  during  part  or  all  of 
the  cold  weather.  In  this  class  are  the  meadowlark,  robin  and 
bluebird  already  described,  the  song  sparrow,  cowbird,  flicker,  king- 
fisher, ruby-crowned  kinglet,  yellow-bellied  sapsucker  and  red-headed 
woodpecker. 

There  are  also  several  irregular  or  uncommon  winter  visitors 
from  the  north  that  I have  not  yet  mentioned.  They  are  the  northern 
shrike,  pine  and  evening  grosbeaks,  American  and  white-winged 
crossbills  and  Lapland  longspur. 

The  song  sparrow  ordinarily  appears  just  after  the  bluebirds 
become  established  in  early  spring  and  a little  ahead  of  the  first  flocks 
of  robins.  That  would  be  some  time  between  the  20th  of  February 
and  the  middle  of  March,  according  to  the  season.  This  little  brown, 
streaked  bird  with  its  cheery  and  incessant  song  is  abundant  from 
that  time  until  November,  when  it  gradually  disappears,  until  in 
December  it  becomes  a decided  rarity  and  is  then  found  only  along 
creeks  and  on  the  borders  of  swamps.  My  latest  record  for  it  is 
January  5th,  but  I have  no  doubt  that  in  favorable  winters  it  may 
remain  during  the  entire  season  in  some  sheltered  spot. 

My  earliest  record  of  arrival  in  spring  for  the  cowbird  is  March 


12 


Photograph  by  C.  G.  Abbott 

TREE  SPARROWS  AT  RUSTIC  FEEDING  SHELF 
Foxhollow  Farm 


Photograph  by  C.  G.  Abbott 


A FARM  BOY’S  FEEDING  SHELF 
Sheldon  Streever’s  Farm 

13 


18th  and  the  latest  of  departure  is  November  24th,  but  1 have  three 
local  winter  records  that  prove  that  the  bird  may  occasionally  be  seen 
throughout  the  year.  A male  spent  the  winter  with  a flock  of 
English  sparrows  at  my  barns  in  1907-1908.  Mrs.  Goodell  has  seen 
one  on  February  20th  and  1 have  found  a female  on  January  13th 
feeding  with  a flock  of  English  sparrows  at  Rhinecliff  station.  The 
male  is  a handsome,  irridescent  black  bird  with  a brownish  head, 
and  the  female  is  a dark  gray.  They  are  smaller  than  the  “crow 
blackbirds”  or  grackles,  but  walk  like  them  instead  of  hopping. 
They  have  the  bad  habit  of  laying  their  eggs  in  other  birds’  nests 
and  removing  the  eggs  of  the  rightful  owner,  so  that  their  unfor- 
tunate victims  raise  young  cowbirds  instead  of  their  own  young. 
Cowbirds  do  not  build  nests  of  their  own,  and  as  they  are  also  poly- 
gamous, remain  in  small  flocks  the  year  around  and  never  pair  during 
the  nesting  season. 

The  flicker  or  “high-hole”  is  one  of  our  most  useful  birds.  It 
is  also  known  as  the  “golden-winged  woodpecker”  on  account  of  the 
bright  yellow  underside  of  its  wings.  Its  body  is  brown,  with  a red 
mark  on  its  head,  a broad  white  patch  at  the  base  of  the  tail  which 
shows  in  flight  and  a black  triangle  on  the  breast.  Like  the  other 
woodpeckers,  it  nests  in  holes  in  trees,  but,  unlike  its  cousins,  its 
favorite  food  is  ants,  of  which  it  destroys  enormous  numbers.  Ordi- 
narily it  arrives  in  March  and  leaves  in  November,  but  I have  oc- 
casionally recorded  it  in  very  mild  seasons  in  December,  January 
and  February. 

The  kingfisher  is  also  scheduled  to  arrive  late  in  March  and 
leave  before  the  first  snow,  but  I have  seen  it  two  or  three  times 
in  January  when  the  river  was  still  open.  I have  never  seen  it  in 
February.  It  is  a big,  crested  bird  with  very  short  legs,  is  bluish 
above  and  white  below  with  a band  across  the  breast,  and  has  a long, 
ringing  call,  like  a policeman’s  rattle.  It  is  almost  invariably  seen 
flying  near  creeks,  rivers  or  ponds,  but,  strange  to  say,  burrows  a 
hole  in  a sand  bank  to  make  its  nest. 

The  ruby-crowned  kinglet  is  a near  relation  of  the  golden- 
crowned  kinglet  already  described,  but  instead  of  being  a winter 
visitant  it  is  in  the  class  of  transients;  that  is,  it  nests  north  of 
Rhinebeck  and  winters  south  of  us.  From  the  middle  of  April  till 
the  middle  of  May  this  green  midget  among  birds  is  abundant  in  our 
woods  on  its  way  north  and  again  in  October  on  its  return  journey. 
However,  I have  recorded  it  once  in  December  and  again  on  January 
3rd,  so  that  it  belongs  on  our  list  of  winter  birds. 

The  yellow-bellied  sapsucker  has  twice  been  reported  as  being 
present  here  in  winter.  The  male  is  a black  and  white  woodpecker 
with  yellowish  underparts,  and  red  on  top  of  the  head  and  on  the 
throat.  The  female  lacks  the  red  on  the  throat. 

I am  keeping  track  of  two  young  red-headed  woodpeckers  that 
so  far  have  condescended  to  stay  near  my  house.  They  hitherto  have 
been  present  only  as  transients  in  May  and  September,  but  these 
two  have  been  with  me  ever  since  October  and  behave  as  though 
they  intended  to  stay,  for  they  have  been  very  busy  storing  acorns 


14 


in  every  conceivable  crevice,  including  an  upright  iron  pipe,  out  of 
which  they  can  never  get  them  again!  These  birds  are  now  brown 
and  white  but  their  heads  are  gradually  becoming  red  and  part  of 
their  wings  blue-black — the  plumage  of  the  adult  bird.  It  remains 
to  be  seen  whether  their  stores  of  acorns  and  my  offering  of  suet 
will  cause  them  to  remain  until  spring. 

The  northern  shrike  is  sometimes  quite  common  in  winter.  It 
is  black,  bluish-gray,  and  whitish  in  color,  with  a strong,  hooked  bill. 
The  only  bird  it  can  be  confused  with  is  the  blue  jay  but  it  is  not 
nearly  so  blue.  It  lives  chiefly  on  mice,  which  it  has  to  impale  on 
thorns  in  order  to  tear  them  apart,  as  its  feet  are  not  made  for  hold- 
ing. The  shrike  is  also  useful  for  its  raids  on  English  sparrows  and 
destroys  many  injurious  insects. 

The  grosbeaks  and  crossbills  are  rare  and  irregular  winter  visi- 
tants. They  are  fond  of  the  seed  of  evergreen  and  berry-bearing 
bushes  such  as  sumach  and  mountain  ash. 

The  pine  grosbeak  is  a large,  tame,  slow-moving  finch  with  a big 
beak  and  deep  rosy  plumage.  The  evening  grosbeak  is  yellow,  white 
and  black.  The  male  crossbills  are  deep  rosy  and  the  females  and 
young  are  brownish.  These  can  be  distinguished  by  their  bills,  which 
are  crossed,  an  arrangement  that  enables  them  to  extract  the  seeds 
from  pine-cones  with  greater  ease.  I have  no  records  of  either 
crossbill  at  Rhinebeck. 

The  Lapland  longspur  also  is  a member  of  the  finch  and  sparrow 
family.  It  has  a chestnut  patch  on  the  back  and  a black  patch  on 
the  upper  breast.  The  rest  of  its  plumage  is  brownish.  I have  one 
record  of  it  on  March  25th,  1912,  when  a late  blizzard  played  havoc 
with  the  spring  migration  and  sent  some  of  the  earliest  arrivals  back 
to  the  south. 

— January  2,  1915. 


The  First  Migrants 

So  far  this  winter  has  been  remarkable  for  its  mildness,  and 
although  I am  very  far  from  being  a prophet,  general  indications 
point  towards  an  early  Spring.  We  must  not  forget,  however,  that 
last  year  the  worst  weather  did  not  begin  until  the  middle  of  Febru- 
ary, and  we  may  have  that  experience  again. 

The  birds  have  reacted  in  accordance  with  the  weather  condi- 
tions, and  there  has  been  a dearth  of  northern  visitors.  The  juncos, 
tree  sparrows,  purple  finches,  brown  creepers  and  golden-crowned 
kinglets  have  of  course  been  here,  but  I have  only  seen  one  northern 
shrike  and  no  siskins  or  horned  larks  since  autumn.  The  grosbeaks, 
crossbills,  snowflakes,  longspurs  and  redpolls  have,  as  far  as  reports 
go,  been  entirely  absent,  as  has  the  Acadian  chickadee,  which  visited 
us  last  year. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  has  been  an  unusual  abundance  of 
birds  which  generally  winter  south  of  us,  and  at  best  are  rarely  seen 
at  this  season.  The  most  remarkable  example  is  the  red-headed 


15 


woodpecker.  Probably  ten  or  more  are  wintering  here.  Song  spar- 
rows and  bluebirds  have  been  seen  several  times,  and  one  flicker  and 
one  meadowlark  have  been  reported.  Robins  have  been  especially 
common,  there  being  one  daily  at  the  feeding  stations  at  Foxhollow 
Farm,  while  Professor  Freeman  of  Vassar  College,  Poughkeepsie, 
saw  a flock  of  ten  one  day  in  the  middle  of  January.  On  the  river, 
which  has  been  partly  open  below  Rhinebeck,  there  have  occasionally 
been  herring  gulls,  mergansers  and  scaup  ducks. 

On  the  7th  of  this  month,  I saw  a pair  of  red-breasted  nuthatches 
— my  first  winter  record  of  this  species,  which,  unlike  the  white- 
breasted, is  migratory,  nesting  in  Canada  and  wintering  south  of 
Rhinebeck.  It  is  smaller  than  the  white-breast,  with  a dull,  reddish 
breast  and  a black  stripe  through  the  eye  that  at  once  distinguishes 
it.  It  is  seldom  seen  far  from  evergreens,  as  its  usual  winter  food 
is  the  seed  which  it  extracts  from  the  cones. 

Very  soon  we  may  expect  the  bluebirds,  song  sparrows,  meadow- 
larks and  robins  to  become  commoner,  and  when  the  first  flock  of 
blackbirds  arrives  the  winter  will  be  practically  over  and  the  spring 
migration  will  have  begun.  Sometimes  the  blackbirds  make  a mis- 
calculation and  are  forced  back  again  by  a late  snow,  but  when  the 
phoebe  comes,  some  time  in  March,  it  is  a sure  sign  that  spring  is 
here.  At  this  point  it  is  pertinent  to  remark  that  the  chickadee  has 
a high,  clear  whistle,  making  the  notes  “phee-bee,”  uttered  slowly, 
which  must  not  be  confused  with  the  quick,  hoarse  and  unmusical 
“phoebe,  phoebe”  of  the  real  phoebe. 

In  making  out  a migration  table,  it  is  rather  hard  to  distinguish 
between  the  first  arrivals  and  hardy  individuals  that  have  wintered 
close  by.  For  instance,  I have  never  seen  a robin  in  February  that 
I consider  justly  entitled  to  be  called  a new  arrival.  On  the  other 
hand,  I have  seen  bluebirds,  song  sparrows  and  meadowlarks  in 
February  that  apparently  had  just  come  and  that  were  restless  and 
flying  in  small  flocks  in  places  where  they  had  not  been  seen  all 
winter.  The  following  table  of  February  arrivals  therefore  omits 
the  robin,  although  it  has  been  frequently  seen  during  the  month. 
Perhaps  this  year  or  next  it  will  really  come  in  February  in  a fair- 
sized flock,  and  by  its  nervous  call-notes  indicate  that  it  is  a real 
migrant  just  come  from  farther  south.  I heard  two  bluebirds  on 
February  7th  of  this  year,  but  cannot  yet  tell  if  they  formed  the 
advance  guard  of  the  migrants. 


February  Arrivals  From  the  South 


February 

February 

February 

February 

February 

February 


8 — Bluebird,  1909.  Usually  seen  in  winter. 

22 —  Red-winged  blackbird,  1909. 

23 —  Meadowlark,  1909.  Occasional  in  winter. 

25 —  Starling,  1912.  Permanent  resident  ever  since. 

26 —  Song  sparrow,  1901.  Occasional  in  winter. 

27 —  Purple  grackle,  1909. 


Note — There  are  two  grackles,  the  purple  and  the  bronzed.  I 
have  yet  to  make  sure  when  the  first  of  the  latter  arrives,  as  the  two 


16 


species  are  very  hard  to  distinguish  in  life.  They  are  both  an  irri- 
descent  black  and  have  long  tails  and  whitish  eyes.  The  red-wing 
has  a shorter  tail  and  the  male  has  a brilliant  scarlet  patch  on  each 
shoulder.  His  mate  is  brown,  streaked  with  blackish,  and  does  not 
arrive  until  later. 

— February  13,  1915. 


Birds  of  the  First  Two  Weeks  In  March 


If  the  weather  we  have  had  so  far  continues,  the  birds  will  surely 
break  all  records  for  arrival.  The  surest  indication  of  warm  weather 
is  the  arrival  of  the  grackles  or  crow  blackbirds,  and  these  came  this 
year  on  February  17th — just  ten  days  ahead  of  my  best  previous 
record.  Other  birds,  too,  have  come  ahead  of  time  and  I give  here- 
with a summary  of  their  doings  up  to  February  24th. 


February 

February 

February 

February 

February 

February 

February 

February 

February 

February 

February 

February 

February 

February 


1 — One  robin  becomes  regular  visitor  at  food  station 
at  Foxhollow  Farm. 

5 — Tree  sparrow  sings. 

7 — Bluebird  and  red-breasted  nuthatch  arrive. 

13 — American  merganser  seen  on  river. 

13 —  Snowy  owl  reported. 

14 —  Song  sparrow  reported  singing. 

16 —  Flicker  utters  spring  call. 

17 —  Purple  finch  sings.  Flocks  have  been  present  all 

winter. 

17 — Barred  owl  hoots. 

17 — Bronzed  grackle  arrives. 

21 — Herring  gull  and  black  duck  arrive. 

23 — First  migrating  flock  of  American  mergansers 
arrives. 

23 —  Red-winged  blackbird  and  purple  grackle  arrive. 

24 —  Cedar  waxwing  arrives. 


The  following  species  should  arrive  during  the  first  two  weeks 
in  March.  The  dates  given  represent  my  best  previous  records,  but 
it  is  likely  that  some  of  these  will  be  broken. 

March  2 — Purple  finch,  1913.  Wintered  1911-12,  1914-15. 
March  6 — Robin,  1910.  Occasional  in  winter. 

March  7 — Fox  sparrow,  1910. 

March  10 — Flicker,  1903.  Occasionally  seen  in  winter. 

March  11 — Broad-winged  hawk,  1914. 


The  snowy  owl  is  very  large  and  nearly  pure  white,  so  it  is 
unmistakable.  The  herring  gull  is  the  large  silvery-gray  gull  which 
appears  on  the  river  every  spring  and  autumn.  The  rusty  grackle 
or  blackbird  is  smaller  than  other  grackles,  and,  if  possible,  has  an 
uglier  voice.  Its  tail  is  not  so  long,  and  it  is  not  so  glossy.  Its  eyes 
are  white.  A chorus  of  rusties  “singing”  reminds  one  of  nothing  so 
much  as  a lot  of  creaking  cart-wheels. 


17 


The  cedar  waxwing:  or  cedarbird  is  smaller  than  the  robin  and  of 
a beautiful,  soft  brown  color.  It  has  a black  mask  across  its  face,  a 
slender  body,  and  a delicate  crest  on  the  head.  It  flies  in  small  or 
medium-sized  flocks  and  is  very  inconspicuous,  uttering  only  a low, 
thin  “seet,  seet.”  The  fox  sparrow  is  the  largest  member  of  the 
sparrow  tribe,  and  is  really  about  as  big  as  a thrush.  It  has  a bright, 
chestnut-brown  back  and  blotches  of  the  same  color  on  the  breast, 
while  its  head  is  rather  slaty.  Its  song  is  loud  and  sweet.  The 
broad-winged  hawk  is  a small  cousin  of  the  red-shoulder  and  red-tail. 
All  the  other  species  mentioned  in  this  paper  have  already  been 
described. 

— February  27,  1915. 

Birds  of  the  Second  Half  of  March 

The  steady  north  wind  that  has  been  blowing  during  the  past 
two  weeks  has  materially  slowed  down  the  advance  of  the  birds  so 
auspiciously  started  in  February.  The  blackbirds,  common  two 
weeks  ago,  have  almost  disappeared  but  will  soon  be  here  in  force 
again.  The  cedarbirds,  which  came  on  February  24th,  have  however 
remained  and  bluebirds  are  common. 

On  February  26th  a bald  eagle  was  reported  by  several  as  sailing 
over  the  cove  south  of  the  village  and  on  the  27th  the  sparrow  hawk 
and  horned  larks  put  in  an  appearance.  On  the  28th  I was  motoring 
just  south  of  Rhinebeck  at  about  half -past  six  in  the  moonlight,  when 
my  searchlights  revealed  what  was  apparently  a small  rabbit  trying 
to  cross  the  road.  I thought  I could  not  avoid  hitting  it  when,  at  the 
last  moment,  it  lifted  its  wings  and  tried  to  dive  past  the  car.  I then 
knew  it  must  be  a small  owl,  and  thinking  I had  hit  it,  I stopped  and 
walked  back,  but  was  unable  to  find  it.  Just  then  I heard  a peculiar 
twTo-syllabled  rasping  note,  first  nearby,  then  gradually  further  away, 
the  owner  of  the  voice  flying  slowly  in  a large  circle  and  finally 
crossing  the  road  and  going  away  towards  the  west.  I had  no  doubt 
now  that  this  was  a saw-whet  owl — the  smallest  of  our  owls — which  I 
had  never  seen  before,  and  on  returning  home  I was  able  to  confirm 
my  decision  in  various  bird  books  for  no  other  owl  has  a note  like  it. 

I once  started  up  a screech  owl  in  this  way  from  the  ground, 
and  twice,  in  California,  the  barn  owl. 

On  March  1st  the  little  winter  colony  of  robins  at  Foxhollow 
Farm  received  additions  to  the  total  number  of  eight  and  on  the  ninth 
the  phoebe  was  reported  as  heard.  Let  me  here  again  warn  those 
who  are  just  beginning  bird  study  that  the  chickadee  has  a plaintive 
whistle  which  reminds  one  of  the  word  “phoebe”  and  which  must 
not  be  confused  with  the  very  different,  real  phoebe’s  call. 

The  following  list  gives  my  best  records  of  arrival  for  the  latter 
half  of  March.  I hope  everyone  will  try  to  better  them: 

March  15 — Canada  goose,  1903. 

March  15 — Fish  crow,  1914.  Wintered  1910-11. 

March  16 — Phoebe,  1903. 


18 


March  18 — Woodcock,  1903. 

March  18 — Cowbird,  1903.  Rare  in  winter. 

March  19 — Mourning  dove,  1903. 

March  22 — Winter  wren,  1911. 

March  25 — Kingfisher,  1902.  Rare  in  winter. 

March  25 — Field  sparrow,  1903. 

March  26 — Yellow-bellied  sapsucker,  1903. 

March  29 — Vesper  sparrow,  1903,  1910. 

March  29 — Wood  duck,  1909. 

March  29 — Migrant  shrike,  1914. 

March  29 — Hermit  thrush,  1914. 

The  Canada  goose  is  a large,  brown  bird  with  a black  neck, 
which  flies  in  wedge-shaped  flocks  of  a dozen  or  more  birds.  I have 
only  one  spring  date  for  it  and  would  appreciate  receiving  reports 
about  it. 

The  fish  crow  is  indistinguishable  from  the  common  crow,  except 
by  its  voice  which  is  hoarse  and  drawling.  The  phoebe  is  a flycatcher 
— an  inconspicuous  brown  bird,  with  a dark  head,  gray  breast  and 
long  tail,  which  it  moves  up  and  down  constantly  while  perched  on 
post  or  twig  or  wire  waiting  for  winged  insects  on  which  it  feeds 
almost  entirely.  It  is  the  common  “bridge  bird"  or  “pewee"  of  our 
doorsteps,  whose  mossy  nests  are  sometimes  objected  to  because  they 
are  often  not  very  clean. 

The  woodcock  is  one  of  our  best  known  game  birds,  but  unfor- 
tunately all  too  rare  nowadays.  Some  people  call  the  woodpecker 
“woodcock"  by  mistake,  but  of  course  there  is  not  the  remotest  re- 
semblance between  them. 

The  cowbird  is  a small  blackbird  with  a brownish  head  and  neck. 
The  female  is  dark  gray  and  instead  of  building  her  own  nest,  lays 
her  eggs  in  the  nests  of  other  and  smaller  birds,  whose  own  offspring 
are  generally  crowded  out  or  starved  by  the  larger,  parasitic  young 
cowbirds.  I have  often  seen  a little  mother  warbler  trying  to  reach 
a big  fledgling  cowbird’s  bill  as  the  great  unwieldy  youngster  sat 
lazily  asking  to  be  fed,  though  nearly  twice  as  large  as  his  foster 
parent.  The  sight  is  both  amusing  and  pathetic. 

The  mourning  dove  is  the  only  wild  member  of  the  pigeon  family 
in  the  north-eastern  states  and  by  its  long  tail  and  brown  color  can 
easily  be  distinguished  from  the  barn-yard  varieties. 

The  winter  wren  is  very  like  our  common,  summer  house  wren, 
but  arrives  much  earlier  than  the  latter  and  goes  farther  north  about 
the  time  the  house  wren  gets  here.  The  kingfisher  has  already  been 
described. 

The  field  sparrow  is  a small  cousin  of  the  tree  sparrow  but  lacks 
the  chestnut  cap  and  spot  on  the  breast.  It  has  a sweet,  plaintive 
little  song.  The  vesper  sparrow  is  more  like  the  song  sparrow,  in 
that  it  has  a streaked  breast  and  slightly  similar  song,  though  at  a 
different  pitch.  It  can  at  once  be  distinguished,  however,  by  the 
white  outer  tail  feathers  which  it  has  in  common  with  the  junco. 

The  yellow-bellied  sapsucker  is  a woodpecker  which  can  be 


19 


distinguished  from  the  hairy  by  a white  stripe  down  each  wing  (in- 
stead of  down  the  back)  and  by  the  red  throat  in  the  male.  Both 
the  male  and  female  have  the  familiar  red  woodpecker  marking  on 
the  back  of  the  head,  while  their  breasts  are  yellowish  instead  of 
white.  Unlike  the  other  woodpeckers,  they  generally  tap  live  instead 
of  dead  wood  and  drill  rows  of  small  holes  from  which  they  drink 
the  sap. 

The  wood  duck,  though  very  small,  is  the  handsomest  of  our 
ducks,  and  has  a brilliant  green  crest  on  its  head.  The  female  is 
dull  brown  with  whitish  cheeks.  It  is  the  only  one  of  our  ducks  that 
nests  regularly  in  southern  New  York,  and  as  it  is  now  nearly  extinct 
it  should  be  protected  by  every  bird-lover  and  true  sportsman,  at 
least  for  a few  years  to  come.  At  one  time  every  pond  and  every 
creek  had  its  pair  of  wood  duck  and  they  would  even  nest  in  hollow 
apple  trees,  (I  have  seen  such  a nest  not  a hundred  feet  from  a 
house,)  but  now  they  are  as  rare  as  they  are  beautiful  and  seem  to 
be  on  the  high  road  to  extinction. 

The  migrant  shrike  is  very  hard  to  distinguish  from  the  northern 
shrike,  but  is  smaller  and  has  a whitish  breast  without  the  fine  bar- 
ring which  the  northern  has. 

The  hermit  thrush  is  a typical  member  of  its  family,  with  a 
brown  back  and  spotted  breast.  Its  distinguishing  feature  is  its 
bright  rufous  tail  which  it  slowly  raises  and  lowers  when  suspicious. 
It  is  most  often  seen  either  in  the  woods  or  near  them,  feeding  on 
the  ground. 

—March  13th,  1915. 


A Calendar  for  the  First  Part  of  April 

Although  this  month  has  so  far  been  ideal  and  I have  heard  no 
complaints  about  the  weather,  the  continuous  north  winds  and  frosty 
nights  have  retarded  the  further  arrival  of  birds,  begun  so  auspi- 
ciously in  February.  The  following  records  are,  however,  worth 
mentioning : 

March  12 — Canvasback;  fish  crow. 

March  17 — Mourning  dove;  pigeon  hawk. 

March  19 — Phoebe  reported  seen. 

The  first  four  mentioned  species  establish  new  records  in  this 
region  so  far  as  I know. 

The  pigeon  hawk  is  a very  small  hawk  with  bow-shaped  wings. 
It  is  very  destructive  to  birds  and  can  be  distinguished  from  the 
beneficial  sparrow  hawk  only  by  its  dull  brown  color  and  barred  tail. 
The  sparrow  hawk  is  reddish  brown  and  feeds  mostly  on  mice  and 
grasshoppers. 

The  canvasback  can  be  distinguished  by  its  white  back.  It  is 
the  king  of  the  duck  tribe  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  sportsman 
and  epicure.  It  seems  to  be  increasing  in  numbers  since  the  pro- 
hibition of  spring  shooting. 

A number  of  birds  that  should  be  here  now  have  so  far  escaped 


20 


my  notice.  They  are  the  marsh  hawk,  fox  sparrow,  broad-winged 
hawk,  Canada  goose,  woodcock,  cowbird  and  winter  wren. 

Although  I dare  say  few  people  realize  it,  the  nesting  season  has 
already  begun,  and  if  we  only  knew  where  to  look  we  might  find  the 
nests  of  the  great  horned  and  barred  owls.  The  red-shouldered 
hawks,  crows  and  bluebirds  are  mated  and  prospecting  for  nests  and 
the  screech  owls,  nuthatches  and  robins  will  soon  follow  suit. 

The  following  species  should  arrive  during  the  first  ten  days  of 
April : 

April  3 — Chipping  sparrow,  1903;  bufflehead,  1912. 

April  6 — Tree  swallow,  1913. 

April  7 — Yellow  palm  warbler,  1909. 

April  8 — Mallard,  1914,  wild?;  Savannah  sparrow,  1914; 
Louisiana  water-thrush,  1914. 

April  9 — Osprey,  1903,  1914;  ruby-crowned  kinglet,  1903,  ac- 
cidental in  January;  American  golden-eye,  1914; 
duck  hawk,  1914. 

April  10 — Spotted  sandpiper,  1903. 

The  chipping  sparrow  is  another  cousin  of  the  tree  sparrow.  It 
has  the  chestnut  cap,  but  lacks  the  spot  on  the  breast.  It  is  the 
tamest  of  our  native  birds,  with  the  exception  of  the  chickadee.  Its 
song  is  a simple  trill.  The  Savannah  sparrow  is  streaked  and  hard 
to  distinguish  from  the  song  sparrow.  Its  song  is  grasshopper-like 
and  will  help  to  identify  it. 

The  bufflehead  is  another  favorite  with  sportsmen,  who  call 
it  “butterball.”  It  is  black  and  white,  with  a white  patch  or  crest  on 
the  back  of  the  head.  The  golden-eye  has  a dark  green  head  running 
up  almost  into  a point  on  the  crown  and  a white  spot  in  front  of  the 
eye.  Both  these  ducks  are  great  divers  and  very  irritating  to  the  ob- 
server who  is  trying  to  identify  them,  as  they  seem  to  spend  more 
time  under  the  water  than  above  it. 

The  mallards  I saw  last  year  may  have  been  from  tame  stock 
that  had  been  liberated,  but  they  were  flying  fast  up  Hog  Bridge 
Creek,  and  from  all  appearances  were  wild.  The  male  has  a green 
head,  white  ring  around  the  neck  and  chestnut  breast.  The  female 
is  brown. 

The  tree  swallow  is  the  first  of  its  tribe  to  arrive.  It  is  irrides- 
cent  greenish  blue  above  and  pure  white  below.  The  yellow  palm 
warbler  is  found  more  in  the  open  than  any  other  of  our  warblers, 
and  is  usually  seen  near  the  ground.  It  is  brownish-green  above,  has 
a chestnut  patch  on  the  head  and  a yellow  breast,  slightly  streaked.  Its 
outer  tail  feathers  are  partly  white.  The  Louisiana  water-thrush  is 
really  a warbler,  although  it  looks  like  a very  small  thrush.  It  is 
brown  above,  with  a white  line  over  the  eye.  Its  breast  is  creamy 
white  streaked  with  brown.  It  bobs  its  body  and  tail  up  and  down 
constantly,  and  walks  instead  of  hopping.  It  frequents  damp  woods, 
always  near  a stream,  and  has  a loud,  clear  song,  something  like : 
“Wee;  chwee,  chwee.  chweedle-eedle-eedle-eedle” — much  more  musi- 
cal than  it  looks! 


21 


The  osprey,  or  fish  hawk,  is  often  mistaken  for  the  bald  eagle, 
because  of  its  large  size  and  the  white  on  its  head.  The  eagle’s 
entire  head  is  white,  while  the  fish  hawk’s  is  only  partly  so.  The  rest 
of  the  eagle’s  plumage  is  black,  except  the  tail,  whereas  in  the  fish 
hawk  the  plumage  is  brown  above  and  mostly  white  below.  The 
duck  hawk  is  the  swiftest,  most  daring,  and  one  of  the  worst  of  our 
hawks.  Fortunately  it  is  about  the  rarest.  It  is  a large  edition  of 
the  pigeon  hawk,  with  long  pointed  wings,  which  it  beats  rapidly, 
instead  of  sailing.  In  the  middle  ages  this  hawk  was  carried  blind- 
folded on  horseback  and  released  to  hunt  other  birds  for  sport. 

The  ruby-crowned  kinglet  is,  with  its  relation,  the  golden-crown, 
the  smallest  of  our  birds  excepting  the  hummingbird.  Unlike  the 
golden-crown,  it  has  a loud,  ringing,  beautiful  song.  It  is  a greenish 
mite,  and  the  male  has  a partly  concealed,  red  crown-patch.  The 
spotted  sandpiper  or  “tip-up”  is  a long-billed,  long-legged  wader, 
common  on  the  banks  of  our  ponds  and  streams.  It  is  brown  above 
and  spotted  below.  It  is  shot  in  autumn  as  game,  but  it  is  a pity  to 
kill  so  small  a mouthful  for  food. 

— March  27th,  1915. 

Birds  of  Mid-April 

Many  of  the  returning  species  are  still  behind  schedule  time, 
but  on  the  other  hand  there  are  redeeming  features  in  this  year’s 
migration.  I have  just  been  able  to  add  two  new  species  to  the  local 
list  and  to  improve  two  former  records  by  many  days.  The  follow- 
ing list  brings  the  migration  up  to  date: 

March  21 — Ring-billed  gull. 

March  21 — First  migrating  j uncos  arrive. 

March  31 — Cowbird;  fox  sparrow  reported. 

April  2 — Woodcock. 

April  5 — Wood  duck;  killdeer,  reported  by  C.  G.  Abbott. 

April  6 — Vesper  sparrow,  reported  by  C.  G.  Abbott. 

April  7 — Black-crowned  night  heron. 

April  8 — Pintail ; kingfisher. 

The  ring-billed  gull  and  pintail  are  both  new  to  me  here.  The 
former  is  hard  to  tell  in  adult  plumage  from  the  adult  herring  gull, 
but  at  close  quarters  a black  ring  around  the  bill  is  distinguishable. 
The  young  and  first  year  birds,  which  I saw,  have  a narrow  black 
band  on  the  tip  of  the  tail,  which  the  herring  gulls  have  not. 

The  pintail  is  a very  long-necked  duck  and  the  male  has  a brown 
head,  the  front  of  the  neck  is  white,  and  the  two  middle  tail-feathers 
are  very  long  and  pointed.  I was  examining  some  black  duck,  mer- 
gansers and  gulls  this  afternoon,  when  a pair  flew  directly  into  the 
range  of  my  glasses  and  I was  able  to  distinguish  the  above  field 
marks.  The  pintail  is  by  no  means  rare,  and  no  doubt  comes  here 
quite  regularly. 

The  killdeer  is  a plover  and  belongs  to  the  shore-bird  family  to 
which  the  sandpipers  belong.  It  has  two  black  bands  across  its 


22 


Photograph  by  M.  S.  Crosby 

FEMALE  GOLDEN- WINGED  WARBLER  ON  NEST 
Grasmere 


Photograph  by  M.  S.  Crosby 

FEMALE  INDIGO  BUNTING  ON  NEST 
Grasmere 


23 


white  breast  and  a brown  back.  Its  note  resembles  the  syllables 
‘‘kill-dee,  kill-dee.”  It  is  often  seen  in  meadows  far  from  water  and 
nests  in  them. 

The  black-crowned  night  heron  is  the  handsomest  of  all  our 
herons  or  “cranes.”  It  is  a very  large  wader  and  flies  slowly  over 
our  swamps  with  neck  bent  back  and  feet  extended  behind.  Its 
crown  is  black  and  its  wings  are  a beautiful  pearl-gray  color. 

From  now  on  the  different  species  should  come  thick  and  fast, 
especially  those  that  are  already  late,  while  the  following  will  be  due 
to  arrive  according  to  my  schedule: 

April  11 — Lesser  scaup  duck,  1914. 

April  12 — Bonaparte’s  gull,  1912;  red-breasted  merganser, 
1912;  American  scaup  duck,  1912. 

April  15 — White-throated  sparrow,  1912;  swamp  sparrow,  1912. 

April  16 — Common  tern,  1912. 

April  17 — Blue-headed  vireo,  1906;  barn  swallow,  1914. 

The  scaup  and  lesser  scaup  are  called  “bluebills”  by  sportsmen. 
They  have  distinctively  shaped  heads  and  are  irridescent  purple  and 
green  on  the  head  and  neck.  The  scaup  has  white  on  its  sides  while 
the  lesser  scaup  has  the  sides  finely  barred  with  blackish. 

Bonaparte’s  gull  is  a small  gull  with  the  entire  head  black — an 
excellent  field  mark. 

The  red-breasted  merganser  has  a green  head  with  a crest  and  a 
reddish  band  across  the  breast.  Otherwise  it  resembles  the  American 
merganser,  previously  described.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  distin- 
guish the  females  of  the  two  species,  both  of  which  are  gray  and 
white  with  brown  heads  and  crests. 

The  white-throated  sparrow  has,  as  its  name  implies,  a white 
throat,  and  also  three  white  stripes,  separated  by  black,  on  top  of 
the  head.  It  is  a very  sweet,  plaintive  singer,  and  fortunately  lingers 
for  a long  time  in  our  gardens  before  going  farther  north  to  breed. 

The  swamp  sparrow  is  rather  common  locally.  It  has  a trilling- 
song,  something  like  that  of  the  chippy.  It  also  has  a chestnut  cap, 
but  its  cheeks  and  breast  are  dark  gray. 

The  common  tern  is  a relative  of  the  gulls,  but  more  airy  and 
graceful,  hence  its  common  name  of  “sea  swallow.”.  It  is  pearly 
gray  above  and  white  below  and  has  a black  crown.  It  passes  to  the 
north  before  the  end  of  the  month. 

The  blue-headed  vireo  is  a small,  unobtrusive  bird  of  the  woods, 
like  the  rest  of  its  plainly-colored  family,  most  of  whom  generally 
escape  our  notice  although  they  literally  live  at  our  very  elbows. 
The  blue-head’s  head  is  really  slaty  and  it  has  a white  eye-ring.  Its 
back  is  greenish  and  its  breast  is  yellowish.  It  has  a sweet,  rather 
monotonous  chirping  song.  In  May  it  goes  farther  north  to  breed. 

I think  we  all  know  the  barn  swallow,  with  its  long  pointed  wings 
and  beautiful,  deeply-forked  tail.  Its  back  is  brilliant  steel  blue  and 
its  throat  and  upper  breast  are  a warm  brick-red — something  like 
the  bluebird’s. 


24 


Try  to  identify  all  these  birds  before  more  arrive,  or  the  total 
number,  nearly  200,  will  fairly  bewilder  you. 

— April  10  th,  1915. 


More  April  Birds 

At  last  the  late  species  are  coming  and  the  recent  warm  weather 
promises  to  bring  the  remainder  more  nearly  on  schedule  time.  The 
following  have  arrived  since  the  8th: 

April  9 — Chipping  sparrow. 

April  12 — Osprey;  winter  wren;  ruby-crowned  kinglet;  first  mi- 
grant golden-crowned  kinglets. 

April  14 — First  migrant  brown  creepers. 

All  the  above  mentioned  species  have  been  described  in  previous 
papers. 

The  following  species  are  due  during  the  next  few  days: 

April  19 — Towhee,  1910;  pine  warbler,  1910;  black  and  white 
warbler,  1910,  1914. 

April  20 — Myrtle  warbler,  1910;  bank  swallow,  1914;  cliff 
swallow,  1914. 

April  22 — Green  heron,  1901;  house  wren,  1913. 

April  26 — Brown  thrasher,  1913. 

April  27 — Henslow  sparrow,  1910. 

April  28 — Catbird,  1909;  black-throated  green  warbler,  1911. 

The  towhee  is  a handsome  bird,  nearly  as  large  as  a robin,  with 
black  upper  parts  and  throat,  white  underparts  and  chestnut  sides. 
The  outer  tail  feathers  are  white.  The  female  is  brown  where  her 
mate  is  black. 

The  pine  warbler  is  a member  of  the  very  numerous  and  brightly 
colored  family  of  tiny  songsters  that  fills  our  trees  in  May.  It  is 
greenish  above  and  yellow  below  and  has  a trilling  song  like  the  chip- 
ping sparrow.  It  leaves  us  early  in  May. 

The  black  and  white  warbler  is  streaked  like  a tiny  woodpecker 
and  runs  up  and  down  trees  like  a nuthatch.  It  remains  with  us  all 
summer. 

The  myrtle  warbler  is  only  a temporary  visitor,  but  is  very 
numerous.  It  is  a gray  color  above  and  yellowish  below,  with  streaks 
on  the  breast  and  sides.  It  can  be  identified  by  its  yellow  rump 
which  flashes  when  the  bird  flies. 

The  bank  swallow  is  a cousin  of  the  barn  swallow,  but  is  dull 
brown  above  and  whitish  below,  with  a brown  band  around  the  throat. 
Its  tail  is  nearly  square.  It  builds  its  nest  in  a hole  in  a sandbank. 

The  cliff  swallow  is  more  like  the  barn  swallow,  but  the  forked 
tail  is  less  marked.  It  has  a bluish  back  and  reddish  throat,  and  a 
yellowish  crescent  on  the  forehead.  It  nests  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river  but  not  here. 


25 


The  green  heron  is  another  long-legged  wader  with  a reddish- 
brown  head  and  neck  and  a slaty  back.  It  is  smaller  than  the  other 
herons  and  passes  the  summer  along  our  ponds  and  streams.  Its 
common  name  is  “shiedpoke.” 

The  house  wren,  brown  thrasher  and  catbird  all  belong  to  the 
same  family  and  are  very  sweet  singers.  The  tiny  brown  wren  with 
its  short,  turned  up  tail  needs  no  further  description.  The  thrasher 
is  like  a large,  reddish  thrush  with  a long  tail  and  yellow  eyes. 
The  catbird  is  slate-colored  from  head  to  tail.  All  three  species 
remain  here  to  nest.  The  Henslow  sparrow  is  very  rare  and  irregular 
here.  It  has  a way  of  running  through  the  grass  like  a mouse  and 
hiding  behind  tufts.  It  is  hardly  worth  while  describing  until  we  are 
familiar  with  the  commoner  varieties. 

The  black-throated  green  warbler  is  common  during  the  migra- 
tions but  goes  farther  north  to  nest.  It  is  greenish  above,  with 
a black  throat  and  bright  yellow  cheeks. 

If  anyone  knows  of  a robin's,  crow's,  hawk’s  or  owl’s  nest  with 
eggs  in  it,  I should  like  to  be  told  of  it.  In  fact,  any  early  nest  will 
be  of  interest,  as  I am  trying  to  compile  a list  of  the  earliest  dates 
on  which  the  various  species  nest. 

— April  17th,  1915. 


Birds  of  the  End  of  April  and  First  Week  In  May 

Since  my  last  paper  appeared,  the  following  species  have  arrived : 

April  14 — Field  sparrow. 

April  15 — Savannah  sparrow;  hermit  thrush,  reported  earlier. 

April  18 — Rusty  grackle;  tree  swallow;  yellow  palm  warbler; 
Louisiana  water-thrush. 

April  19 — Chimney  swift,  record;  sapsucker. 

April  20 — Golden-eye  duck. 

April  21 — Pied-billed  grebe,  record;  marsh  hawk;  barn  swal- 
low; pine  warbler. 

April  22 — White-throated  sparrow. 

April  25 — Spotted  sandpiper;  sharp-shinned  hawk,  record; 
bank  swallow. 

April  27 — Black  and  white  warbler;  house  wren. 

April  28 — Towhee. 

The  chimney  swift  looks  like  a swallow,  but  has  practically  no 
tail,  only  sharp  spikes  which  it  uses  to  prop  itself  against  the  inside 
of  a chimney  or  the  trunk  of  a tree.  It  belongs  to  the  same  family 
as  the  whippoorwill.  It  is  a plain  sooty  color. 

The  pied-billed  grebe  is  a remarkable  diver  and  will  remain 
under  water  a long  time  when  suspicious.  It  is  a small,  brown,  duck- 
like bird,  with  a whitish  bill  with  a dark  spot  near  the  middle. 

The  marsh  hawk  is  long-tailed  and  has  a white  patch  on  its  back 
near  the  base  of  the  tail.  It  flies  slowly  over  the  fields,  generally 
keeping  near  the  ground,  and  devours  great  numbers  of  mice. 


26 


The  sharp-shinned  hawk  is  very  much  smaller  and  very  bold. 
All  other  arrivals  have  been  described  before. 

The  following  all  arrived  together  last  year  on  April  29th  and 
broke  all  my  best  previous  records.  I had  quite  a remarkable  walk 
and  identified  fifty-nine  species.  If  I had  started  my  walk  earlier  I 
could  have  passed  the  sixty  mark.  Most  of  the  warblers  really  are 
not  due  until  well  on  into  May.  The  record  arrivals  were  the  least 
flycatcher,  Nashville  warbler,  northern  parula  warbler,  chestnut-sided 
warbler,  Blackburnian  warbler,  Maryland  yellow-throat,  redstart, 
water-thrush,  black-throated  blue  warbler  and  wood  thrush. 

The  least  flycatcher  is  like  a diminutive  phoebe.  It  can  best  be 
recognized  by  its  note,  a sharp  “chebec,  chebec,”  which  has  given  it 
its  common  name.  It  remains  here  to  nest. 

The  Nashville  warbler  has  a slaty-blue  head  with  a partly  con- 
cealed reddish  crown-patch,  a greenish  back,  and  pure  yellow  throat 
and  breast.  The  parula  warbler  is  slaty-blue  above,  except  for  a 
yellowish  patch  in  the  middle  of  the  back.  Its  breast  and  throat  are 
yellow,  but  it  has  a reddish  band  below  the  throat. 

The  black-throated  blue  warbler  is  best  described  by  its  name 
and  cannot  be  mistaken  for  any  other  warbler. 

The  chestnut-sided  warbler  has  a greenish  back,  bright  yellow 
crown,  black  “whiskers,”  chestnut  sides  and  white  underparts. 

The  Blackburnian  warbler  is  mostly  black  and  white  above,  with 
flaming  orange  underparts,  streaked  with  black  except  on  the  throat. 
It  is  the  most  brilliant  of  all  the  warblers. 

The  Maryland  yellow-throat  is  greenish  above  and  bright  yellow 
below,  and  the  male  has  a black  “highwayman’s  mask”  across  its 
face. 

The  water-thrush  is  also  a warbler,  and  is  hard  to  distinguish 
from  its  cousin,  the  Louisiana  water-thrush  already  described. 

The  redstart  is  black  above  and  below,  but  has  bright  salmon 
patches  on  the  wings  and  tail,  which  it  keeps  constantly  spread  as  it 
flits  about. 

Most  of  the  warblers  keep  in  the  tree-tops  and  prove  a great 
source  of  trouble  and  stiff  neck  to  the  beginner.  They  are  seldom 
still  and  as  they  travel  in  large,  mixed  flocks,  they  are  most  bewilder- 
ing. Their  songs  are  mostly  plain  little  ditties,  some  trilled,  others 
“buzzed,”  although  each  is  distinct  and  can  be  memorized  with  a 
little  effort.  The  chestnut-sided  warbler,  Maryland  yellow-throat  and 
redstart  stay  here  all  summer  but  the  others  mentioned  above  go 
farther  north  to  nest. 

The  wood  thrush  is  our  finest  songster.  His  back  is  rich  brown 
and  his  breast  white  with  black  spots.  Fortunately  he  is  very  com- 
mon and  his  delicious,  violin-like  notes  can  be  heard  from  every  grove 
morning  and  evening  throughout  the  spring  until  the  second  brood 
of  young  grows  up,  about  the  first  of  August. 

The  following  species  are  due  the  coming  week: 

May  1 — Kingbird,  1914;  warbling  vireo,  1914. 


27 


May  2 — Bobolink,  1902;  yellow-throated  vireo,  1911-12;  oven- 
bird,  1911,  1914;  golden-winged  warbler,  1914; 
yellow  warbler,  1914;  veery,  1914. 

May  4 — Baltimore  oriole,  1911-12-13-14;  crested  flycatcher, 
1913;  grasshopper  sparrow,  1913-14;  Cape  May 
warbler,  1914;  magnolia  warbler,  1914. 

May  5 — Red-eyed  vireo,  1914. 

The  kingbird  is  a common  summer  resident  in  our  orchards.  It 
is  very  pugnacious,  and  although  only  a flycatcher,  will  drive  every 
hawk  and  crow  away  from  the  vicinity  of  its  nest.  It  has  a black 
crown,  gray  back  and  tail,  and  white  breast.  The  tail  feathers  have 
white  tips.  The  crested  flycatcher  is  the  largest  member  of  its  family. 
It  has  a prominent  brown  crest,  its  back  is  brownish  and  its  tail  is 
reddish-brown.  Its  loud,  musical  whistle  sounds  almost  human. 

The  warbling  vireo  is  greenish  gray  and  as  retiring  as  it  is 
conspicuous.  It  minds  its  business  in  the  tops  of  our  tall  maples, 
where  it  spends  its  time  devouring  caterpillars.  Its  song  is  a rising 
and  falling  warbled  whistle,  very  pleasing  to  hear.  Its  nest  is  cup- 
shaped and  so  strongly  built  as  to  stand  the  winter. 

The  red-eyed  vireo  is  hard  to  distinguish  from  it,  but  at  close 
range  its  red  eye  can  be  seen  and  it  has  a dark  stripe  through  it.  Its 
song  is  monotonous  and  broken  into  short  phrases.  Its  habits  and 
nest  resemble  those  of  the  warbling  vireo. 

The  yellow-throated  vireo  is  the  handsomest  of  this  unobtrusive 
family.  It  has  a white  eye-ring  and  a rich  yellow  throat  and  breast. 
Its  song  is  also  richer  than  the  red-eye’s  which  it  otherwise  resembles. 

The  bobolink  is  well  known  in  all  our  hay  fields.  It  is  black 
below  and  has  a buffy  patch  on  the  back  of  the  head  and  a white 
back.  Most  birds  are  lighter  below  than  above,  but  it  reverses  this 
rule.  Its  song  is  most  delightful — effervescent  and  sparkling;  some 
of  its  notes  are  banjo-like  in  quality.  Unfortunately  it  is  one  of 
the  first  of  our  residents  to  stop  singing.  Its  mate  is  dull  brown. 

The  Baltimore  oriole  belongs  to  the  same  family.  Its  flaming 
livery  of  orange  and  black  is  too  well  known  to  need  description,  as 
is  its  pendulous  nest.  I have  found  it  the  most  regular  of  all  our 
spring  arrivals. 

The  ovenbird  is  a relative  of  the  water-thrush,  and  looks  like  it, 
but  is  greener  above  and  has  an  orange  crown.  Its  nest  is  hooded 
over,  with  the  entrance  on  one  side.  Its  song  resembles  the  word 
‘‘teacher”  repeated  half  a dozen  times,  and  growing  louder  and 
louder. 

The  golden-winged  warbler  has  a yellow  crown  and  yellow  bars 
on  the  wings.  It  has  a black  throat  and  whitish  breast.  Its  back  is 
bluish-gray.  The  yellow  warbler  is  almost  entirely  yellow,  brighter 
below,  and  with  a few  brownish  streaks  on  the  sides  of  the  breast. 

The  Cape  May  warbler  is  rather  rare.  Its  face  is  reddish,  the 
side  of  the  neck  and  rump  yellow,  the  back  brownish,  and  the  breast 
yellow,  heavily  streaked. 

The  magnolia  warbler  has  a slaty  crown,  white  line  behind  the 


28 


eye  and  on  the  wing,  black  cheeks  and  back,  and  yellow  throat,  rump 
and  breast,  the  last  named  streaked  with  black.  When  it  spreads  its 
tail  two  white  spots  are  visible  on  the  outer  feathers. 

The  veery  is  a thrush.  It  is  tawny  above  and  white  below,  with 
reddish-brown  spots  on  the  throat  and  upper  breast  only.  It  has  a 
wierdly  beautiful  song. 

The  grasshopper  sparrow  is  very  small  and  insignificant.  Its 
song  has  given  it  its  name,  as  it  sounds  more  like  an  insect  than  like 
a bird.  It  can  best  be  recognized  from  this  fact  and  from  its  very 
short  tail.  It  is  found  only  in  open  fields. 

— May  1st,  1916. 

The  Height  of  the  Spring  Migration 

The  next  ten  days  will  mark  the  climax  of  the  spring  migration 
and  after  the  middle  of  May  there  will  be  very  few  new  arrivals, 
while  most  of  the  transients  will  move  on  to  the  north,  until  by  June 
1st  only  our  normal  summer  population  will  be  left,  excepting,  per- 
haps, a belated  warbler  or  two. 

Compare  the  following  list  of  this  year’s  arrivals  with  the 
record  list  covering  the  same  period  published  last  week,  and  you 
will  see  that  there  is  not  a very  great  variation. 

On  April  27th  arrived  the  house  wren  and  black  and  white 
v/arbler. 

April  28 — Towhee. 

April  29 — Wood  thrush,  equals  record. 

April  30 — Blue-headed  vireo;  black-throated  green  warbler,  2 
days  late;  parula  warbler,  1 day  late;  black-throat- 
ed blue  warbler,  1 day  late;  myrtle  warbler. 

May  1 — Nashville  warbler,  2 days  late;  broad-winged  hawk, 
record;  duck  hawk. 

May  2 — Yellow  throated  vireo,  equals  record;  chestnut-sided 
warbler,  3 days  late;  ovenbird,  equals  record;  cat- 
bird; brown  thrasher;  veery,  equals  record. 

May  3 — Great  blue  heron;  bobolink,  1 day  late;  Baltimore 
oriole,  record. 

May  5 — Yellow-legs,  record;  least  flycatcher;  cliff  swallow; 

golden-winged  warbler,  3 days  late;  Blackburnian 
warbler;  redstart;  Maryland  yellow-throat;  prairie 
warbler,  record. 

The  broad-winged  hawk  is  built  like  the  red-shoulder,  but  is 
much  smaller.  It  has  a peculiar  whistled  note  resembling  that  of 
the  wood  pewee. 

The  yellow-legs  is  a large  sandpiper.  It  is  brown  above  and 
whitish  below,  with  a speckled  breast.  It  has  a very  long  bill  and 
long  yellow  legs.  I saw  a pair  of  them  this  morning  wading  in  the 
Mill  Pond.  They  show  white  on  the  lower  back  when  they  fly. 

I have  seen  the  prairie  warbler  here  once  before — a number  of 
years  ago,  and  unfortunately  have  not  the  date,  but  believe  it  was 


29 


in  late  summer.  It  is  a little  like  the  Cape  May  warbler,  but  pure 
yellow  on  the  throat  and  breast  and  streaked  only  on  the  sides.  All 
the  other  species  have  been  described  before. 

The  following  species  are  due  to  arrive  from  now  on  till  the  14th: 

May  6 — Hummingbird,  1909;  white-crowned  sparrow,  1909; 
rose-breasted  grosbeak,  1914. 

May  7 — Wood  pewee,  1901;  indigo  bunting,  1901;  scarlet  tan- 
ager,  1909;  Brewster  warbler,  1909;  American 
bittern.  1910;  solitary  sandpiper,  1910. 

May  8 — Yellow-billed  cuckoo,  1901;  worm-eating  warbler, 
1909,  1914;  white-eyed  vireo,  1910;  whippoorwill, 
1911;  yellow  breasted  chat,  1911. 

May  11 — Olive-backed  thrush,  1913;  orchard  oriole,  1914. 

May  12 — Lincoln  sparrow,  1901;  Wilson  warbler,  1901,  1909. 

black-billed  cuckoo,  1912;  bay-breasted  warbler, 
1914. 

May  13 — Blackpoll  warbler,  1911;  Canadian  warbler,  1912, 
1914. 

May  14 — Pectoral  sandpiper,  1911;  black  tern,  1914. 

I think  we  all  know  the  hummingbird — the  smallest  bird  in  the 
world.  Its  wings  buzz  so  fast  that  they  can  scarcely  be  seen.  It  is 
brilliant  green  above  and  white  below,  and  the  male  has  an  irrides- 
cent  throat  of  metallic  red. 

The  white-crowned  sparrow  resembles  the  white-throat,  except 
that  its  crown  is  much  whiter  and  it  lacks  the  white  on  the  throat. 

The  Lincoln  sparrow  can  scarcely  be  distinguished  from  the 
song  sparrow,  but  is  buffy  on  the  breast  instead  of  white.  Both 
species  are  similarly  streaked  above  and  below. 

The  rose-breasted  grosbeak  is  nearly  as  large  as  a robin.  Its 
head  and  back  are  black  and  the  wings  black  and  white.  The  under- 
parts are  white  except  the  upper  breast,  which  has  a beautiful  rosy 
triangle  on  it.  The  female  is  one  of  the  ugliest  birds  I know — streak- 
ed above  and  below  with  black  and  brown. 

The  wood  pewee  is  like  a phoebe,  only  greener,  and  has  slight 
bars  on  the  wings.  It  has  a very  plaintive  whistle  which  gives  it  its 
name.  It  nests  only  in  trees. 

The  indigo  bunting  is  about  the  size  of  a goldfinch,  only  instead 
of  being  yellow  and  black  it  is  deep  indigo  blue  from  head  to  tail. 
It  has  a song  very  like  the  goldfinch,  but  not  so  varied.  The  female 
is  brown. 

The  scarlet  tanager  ranks  with  the  oriole  in  brilliancy.  It  is 
entirely  red  except  the  wings  and  tail,  which  are  black.  The  female 
is  greenish.  Its  song  resembles  a robin  with  a bad  cold  in  its  head, 
but  is  very  cheerful  to  hear  in  the  deep  woods  on  a hot  day. 

The  Brewster  warbler  is  supposed  to  be  a hybrid  species.  I 
have  only  recorded  it  once.  It  is  exactly  like  the  golden-wing,  but 
lacks  the  black  throat. 

The  worm-eating  warbler  is  plain  brown  above  and  gray  below 
and  has  three  buffy  streaks  on  the  crown.  If  you  hear  a song  like 


30 


the  chipping  sparrow’s  coming  from  the  deep,  damp  woods,  you  may 
be  sure  it  is  a worm-eater. 

The  Wilson  warbler  is  greenish  above  and  yellow  below  and  has 
a black  cap. 

The  bay-breasted  warbler  has  a reddish  cap  and  throat,  a black- 
ish face,  and  two  white  wing-bars. 

The  blackpoll  warbler  is  streaked  like  the  black  and  white  warb- 
ler, but  the  entire  top  of  its  head  is  black. 

The  Canadian  warbler  is  bluish-gray  above  and  yellow  below, 
with  a ring  of  dark  spots  around  the  throat. 

The  American  bittern  resembles  a heron.  It  is  a large  wading 
bird,  streaked  with  yellowish,  black  and  brown.  When  discovered,  it 
points  its  bill  straight  up  in  the  air  and  remains  motionless  until  the 
intruder  leaves. 

The  solitary  sandpiper  is  a small  wader.  It  shows  white  on  the 
tail  in  flight,  which  serves  to  distinguish  it  from  the  spotted  sand- 
piper. The  pectoral  sandpiper  has  a reddish  tinge  on  its  back  and  a 
buffy  breast. 

The  yellow-billed  cuckoo  is  a long-billed,  long-tailed,  quiet  bird 
of  a beautiful,  soft  brown  color.  Its  breast  is  white.  Its  lower 
mandible  is  yellow.  The  black-billed  cuckoo  resembles  it  closely, 
but  its  entire  bill  is  black  and  it  has  a red  ring  around  the  eye  visible 
only  at  very  close  range. 

The  white-eyed  vireo’s  chief  characteristics  are  its  eye  and  its  im- 
patient, jerky  notes.  It  is  always  found  in  the  underbrush  instead 
of  in  the  trees,  which  the  other  vireos  frequent. 

The  whippoorwill’s  note  at  dusk  is  familiar  to  most  of  us.  It 
is  a mottled  brown  and  gray  bird,  that  lays  its  eggs  on  the  ground  in 
the  woods  without  building  any  nest. 

The  yellow-breasted  chat  is  a very  large  warbler.  It  is  brown 
above  and  pure  lemon  yellow  below.  It  has  a white  eye-ring.  Both  its 
flight  and  its  notes  are  loose,  jerky  and  disconnected. 

The  olive-backed  thrush  is  a dull  colored,  inconspicuous  member 
of  its  family,  and  although  it  has  a wonderful  song,  seldom  utters 
it  till  it  reaches  its  northern  home. 

The  orchard  oriole  is  chocolate  colored  where  the  Baltimore 
oriole  is  flaming  orange.  The  female  is  yellowish.  It  is  not  nearly 
as  common  as  its  brilliant  cousin. 

The  black  tern  is  a sooty  edition  of  the  common  tern  previously 
described.  It  looks  like  an  enormous  swallow,  and  is  quite  likely 
to  appear  over  our  inland  ponds  in  search  of  flying  insects  during 
the  migration. 

— May  8,  1915. 

The  End  of  the  Spring  Migration 

The  rapidly  arriving  procession  of  migrants  continues  with  great 
precision  and  promptness.  Very  few  species  are  late,  although 
several,  like  the  green  heron,  swamp  sparrow  and  water-thrush, 
seem  to  be  entirely  absent  this  year.  It  is  not  too  late,  however,  to 


31 


find  them.  The  following  arrived  during  the  past  week: 

May  6 — Kingbird;  warbling  vireo;  Tennessee  warbler,  record. 

May  7 — Solitary  sandpiper,  equals  record;  crested  flycatcher, 
3 days  late;  orchard  oriole,  record;  scarlet  tanager, 
equals  record;  yellow  warbler. 

May  8 — Yellow-billed  cuckoo,  equals  record;  red-eyed  vireo,  3 
days  late ; worm-eating  warbler,  equals  record ; 
magnolia  warbler;  Cape  May  warbler. 

May  9 — White-crowned  sparrow,  3 days  late. 

May  10 — Rose-breasted  grosbeak;  blackpoll  warbler,  record; 
yellow-breasted  chat,  2 days  late. 

May  11 — Olive-backed  thrush,  equals  record. 

All  the  above  were  described  last  week  or  the  week  before.  The 
following  are  all  that  remain  on  the  calendar  for  spring  arrival,  be- 
ginning where  I left  off  in  my  last  article: 

May  15 — Red-headed  woodpecker,  1909. 

May  16 — Nighthawk,  1909;  gray-cheeked  thrush,  1909. 

May  17 — Mourning  warbler,  1909. 

May  18 — Philadelphia  vireo,  1909. 

May  19 — Acadian  flycatcher,  1909. 

May  26 — Yellow-bellied  flycatcher,  1914. 

When  the  red-heads  came  south  last  autumn  they  broke  all  rules, 
and  remained  with  us  during  the  entire  winter  and  are  still  here, 
where  we  hope  they  will  nest.  Their  plumage  is  glossy  black  and 
white,  except  the  head  and  neck,  which  are  brilliant  red.  The  male 
downy  and  hairy  woodpeckers  have  small  red  top-knots  but  these 
can  never  be  confused  with  the  entirely  red  head  of  their  far  hand- 
somer relative. 

The  nighthawk  would  be  indistinguishable  from  the  whippoor- 
will were  it  not  for  a large  white  patch  on  each  wing  which  is  plainly 
visible  when  the  bird  is  flying.  It  looks  like  a large  swallow,  but  its 
flight  is  much  more  erratic  and  jerky. 

The  gray-cheeked  thrush  is  very  hard  to  distinguish  from  the 
olive-backed  thrush,  but  is  darker  and  less  buffy  on  the  cheeks  and 
breast.  It  is  also  more  retiring  in  disposition  and  only  found  in  deep 
woods. 

The  mourning  warbler’s  head,  neck  and  throat  are  slaty  blue. 
The  rest  of  the  upper  parts  are  olive-green,  and  of  the  underparts, 
yellow.  It  is  decidedly  rare. 

The  Philadelphia  vireo  resembles  the  red-eyed  vireo,  but  has 
black  eyes  and  a slightly  yellower  breast.  It,  too,  is  rare. 

The  Acadian  and  yellow-bellied  flycatchers  would  be  practically 
indistinguishable  were  it  not  that  the  latter  has  a yellower  breast. 
It  also  has  a loud,  characteristic  call,  “tip-pee-uh”  with  the  accent  on 
the  second  syllable.  Both  are  present  only  a few  days  during  the 
latter  part  of  May. 

The  nesting  season  is  now  well  under  way,  and  this  is  perhaps 
even  more  fascinating  than  the  migration.  So  far  I have  seen  the 


32 


Photograph  by  M.  S.  Crosby 

BABY  BLUE  JAYS 
Grasmere 


Photograph  by  M.  S.  Ci’osby 


FIVE  YOUNG  KINGFISHERS 
Grasmere 

33 


inhabited  nests  of  the  bluebird,  white-breasted  nuthatch,  robin, 
English  sparrow,  phoebe,  starling,  song  sparrow  and  blue  jay,  and 
after  anxiously  watching  a black  and  white  warbler  building  its  nest 
for  several  days  I was  disgusted  to  have  it  desert  when  a wretched 
cowbird  laid  an  egg  in  it.  I found  a song  sparrow’s  nest  close  to  it 
today  and  soon  spied  the  cowbird,  apparently  waiting  to  impose  on 
it,  too,  but  I promptly  drove  off  the  intruder. 

The  starlings  and  English  sparrows  too,  were  prevented  from 
continuing  housekeeping,  for  the  sake  of  the  native  birds  for  whom 
the  boxes  were  erected.  I have  high  hopes  that  flickers,  red-heads 
and  wrens  will  use  some  of  the  boxes  I have  put  up  this  year. 

—May  15,  1915. 


Departure  of  the  Transients 


A few  more  belated  birds  are  still  arriving  but  practically  all 
are  here  and  soon  the  last  of  the  transient  species  will  have  passed 
on  to  the  North.  The  following  have  come  since  the  11th  inst: 


May  12-^Nighthawk,  record;  whippoorwill;  wood  pewee;  water- 
thrush. 

May  13 — Indigo  bunting. 

May  14 — Hummingbird;  Canadian  warbler. 

May  15 — Swamp  sparrow;  white-eyed  vireo;  long-billed  marsh 
wren. 

May  16 — Purple  martin. 

May  19 — Acadian  flycatcher. 


The  long-billed  marsh  wren  is  found  only  in  reedy  marshes,  such 
as  “Tivoli  Bay”  where  I saw  several  the  other  day.  It  has  a long 
bill  and  an  unmusical,  bubbling  song  like  the  syllables  “cong-queedle- 
eedle-eedle.” 

The  purple  martin  is  a large  bluish-black  swallow.  I have  seen 
it  nesting  in  bird  houses  in  Poughkeepsie,  but  never  in  Rhinebeck. 
All  the  other  species  mentioned  have  been  described  before. 

As  the  migration  is  so  nearly  over  it  might  be  fitting  to  study 
the  time  and  order  in  which  the  various  transients  leave  us.  Some 
spend  two  or  three  months  with  us  on  their  way  North — others  only 
a day  or  two.  The  pipit,  which  is  common  in  the  autumn  seems  to 
pass  us  without  a stop,  or  perhaps  uses  another  route,  for  I have 
never  seen  it  in  spring.  The  appended  list  shows  when  the  various 
species  may  be  expected  to  depart: 

Feb.  12— Holboell  grebe,  1912. 

Feb.  13 — Snowy  owl,  1915. 

Mar.  8 — Hoary  redpoll,  1912. 

Mar.  12 — Acadian  chickadee,  1914. 

Mar.  15 — Canada  goose,  1903. 

Mar.  25 — Lapland  longspur,  1912. 

Mar.  27— Pine  grosbeak,  1912. 

Mar.  28 — Snowflake,  1912. 


34 


Mar.  29 — Ring-billed  gull,  1915. 

Apr.  3 — Redpoll,  1909. 

Apr.  8 — Mallard,  1914;  rough-legged  hawk,  1914;  migrant 
shrike,  1914;  pintail,  1915. 

Apr.  11 — Lesser  scaup,  1914. 

Apr.  12 — Red-breasted  merganser,  1912;  Bonaparte  bull,  1912. 
Apr.  17 — Fox  sparrow,  1914. 

Apr.  19 — Bufflehead,  1912. 

Apr.  21 — Pied-billed  grebe,  1915;  prairie  horned  lark,  1915. 
Apr.  22 — Scaup,  1912;  golden-eye,  1914. 

Apr.  24 — Common  tern,  1914. 

Apr.  30 — Pigeon  hawk,  1914. 

May  2 — Broad-winged  hawk,  1915;  duck  hawk,  1915. 

May  3 — Tree  sparrow,  1914;  great  blue  heron,  1915;  American 
merganser,  1914. 

May  4 — Yellow-bellied  sapsucker,  1911. 

May  5 — Golden-crowned  kinglet,  1909;  prairie  warbler,  1915. 
May  6 — Yellow  palm  warbler,  1915. 

May  7 — Brown  creeper,  1909. 

May  8 — Brewster  warbler,  1909;  winter  wren,  1914;  red- 
breasted  nuthatch,  1914. 

May  12 — Black  duck,  1914. 

May  14 — American  bittern,  1911;  greater  yellow-legs,  1911; 
osprey,  1911. 

May  15 — Rusty  blackbird,  1915. 

May  16 — Hermit  thrush,  1901;  junco,  1913;  Lincoln  sparrow, 
1914;  cliff  swallow,  1914. 

May  17 — Pine  siskin,  1914;  tree  swallow,  1914;  herring  gull, 
May  18 — Ruby-crowned  kinglet,  1909;  purple  finch,  1914; 

Cape  May  warbler,  1914-15. 

May  19 — Tennessee  warbler,  1915. 

May  21 — Myrtle  warbler,  1909;  grey-cheeked  thrush,  1911. 
May  22 — Acadian  flycatcher,  1914. 

May  23 — Blue-headed  vireo,  1914;  Northern  parula  warbler, 
1914. 

May  24 — Solitary  sandpiper,  1913;  white-throated  sparrow, 
1913;  black-throated  blue  warbler,  1913-14;  Black- 
burnian warbler,  1914;  pine  warbler,  1914;  olire- 
backed  thrush,  1914. 

May  25 — Bay-breasted  warbler,  1909;  black-throated  green 
warbler,  1909. 

May  26 — Nashville  warbler,  1901;  magnolia  warbler,  1901. 

May  27 — Nighthawk,  1910.  Nests  in  towns  and  cities. 

May  28 — Wilson  warbler,  1901. 

May  30 — Yellow-bellied  flycatcher,  1914. 

June  1 — Blackpoll  warbler,  1909. 

June  2 — Canadian  warbler,  1801;  water-thrush,  1912. 

June  6 — Mourning  warbler,  1901. 

June  11 — White-crowned  sparrow,  1913. 


— May  22nd,  1915. 


The  Nesting  Season 


Just  as  May  marks  the  height  of  the  Spring  migration,  so  does 
June  mark  the  height  of  the  nesting  season.  By  that  time,  it  is 
true,  most  of  the  crows,  hawks  and  owls  will  have  raised  their  broods, 
but  among  the  smaller  birds  there  will  be  practically  none  that  are 
idle. 

The  bluebirds,  robins,  song  sparrows  and  English  sparrows  mav 
have  led  forth  their  first  broods,  but  they  will  promptly  commence 
over  and  begin  to  raise  another  batch.  The  chipping  sparrow,  field 
sparrow,  phoebe,  house  wren,  catbird  and  the  cuckoos  also  raise  two 
or  more  broods  and  whenever  one  attempt  fails  they  will  usually 
build  again  until  successful..  The  loss  of  eggs  and  nestlings  is  very 
high  and  the  accidents  met  with  from  weather  conditions  or  enemies 
are  innumerable.  It  is  a wonder  that  any  bird  succeeds  in  raising 
its  young  at  all. 

The  following  very  incomplete  list  gives  dates  on  which  I have 
found  inhabited  nests  of  various  species: 

Apr.  1 — Bluebird,  1915,  4 eggs,  blizzard  caused  desertion. 

Apr.  10 — Red-shouldered  hawk,  1914,  female  incubating. 

Apr.  18 — White-breasted  nuthatch,  1915,  female  incubating. 

Apr.  19 — Crow,  1905,  bird  incubating. 

Apr.  22 — Robin,  1901.  3 eggs,  later  deserted. 

Apr.  25 — English  sparrow,  1915,  3 eggs. 

May  2 — Phoebe,  1911,  bird  incubating. 

May  3 — Starling,  1915,  bird  incubating. 

May  9 — Song  sparrow,  1905,  1915,  4 eggs. 

May  10 — Blue  jay,  1915,  4 eggs;  cowbird,  1915,  egg  in  black 
and  white  warbler’s  nest. 

May  14 — Flicker,  1915,  bird  incubating. 

May  16 — Chipping  sparrow,  1901,  3 eggs,  bird  incubating; 

black  and  white  warbler,  1915,  4 eggs  after  remov- 
ing 2 of  cowbird. 

May  17 — Bank  swallow,  1901,  bird  seen  flying  into  nest  hole. 

May  18 — Catbird,  1911. 

May  19 — Field  sparrow,  1909,  4 eggs;  hairy  woodpecker,  1915, 
with  young. 

May  20 — Golden-winged  warbler,  1911,  5 eggs. 

May  24 — Kingfisher,  1915,  tracks  worn  deep  in  nest  hole;  house 
wren,  1915,  5 eggs;  chickadee,  1915,  bird  incubat- 
ing; wood  thrush,  1915,  4 eggs,  bird  incubating. 

May  25 — Veery,  1914,  4 eggs,  bird  incubating. 

May  26 — Brown  thrasher,  1909,  3 eggs,  later  deserted. 

May  29 — Red-winged  blackbird,  1901,  4 eggs. 

May  31 — Baltimore  oriole,  1914. 

Tune  1 — Yellow-breasted  chat,  1901,  3 eggs. 

June  3 — Downy  woodpecker,  1901,  with  young;  warbling  vireo, 
1901.  male  singing  while  incubating. 

June  11 — Hummingbird,  1909,  bird  incubating. 


36 


June  15 — Green  heron,  1902,  with  dead  young,  also  new  nest 
with  3 eggs;  red-eyed  vireo,  1902,  3 eggs;  rose- 
breasted grosbeak,  1909,  bird  incubating. 

June  18 — Crested  flycatcher,  1902. 

June  19 — Scarlet  tanager,  1901,  female  incubating. 

June  22 — Indigo  bunting,  1902,  3 eggs. 

June  23 — Yellow-billed  cuckoo,  1901,  1 egg,  later  overturned 
by  a storm. 

June  24 — Maryland  yellow-throat,  1901,  1 egg;  redstart,  1905, 
with  young. 

June  25 — Bobwhite,  1902,  14  eggs,  field  mowed  and  bird  des- 
erted, eggs  hatched  under  bantam;  chimney  swift, 
1905;  cedar  waxwing,  1905,  2 eggs,  later  deserted. 

June  27 — Barn  swallow,  1914,  with  young;  ovenbird,  1914,  2 
eggs. 

June  28 — Purple  martin,  1905,  in  bird  house  at  Poughkeepsie. 

July  1 — Kingbird,  1902;  orchard  oriole,  1905,  with  young. 

July  9 — Worm-eating  warbler,  1904,  with  young. 

July  16 — Towhee,  1902,  with  4 large  young. 

July  21 — Meadowlark,  1903,  hatching,  but  destroyed  in  mowing. 

July  28 — Black-billed  cuckoo,  1901,  with  2 eggs  and  2 large 
young. 

Aug.  5 — Goldfinch,  1901,  5 eggs. 

Aug.  15 — Vesper  sparrow,  1914,  with  young. 

—May  29th,  1915. 

The  End  of  the  Nesting  Season 

As  has  been  shown  in  the  last  paper,  there  is  a wide  variation  in 
the  dates  of  nesting  in  different  species.  The  owls  start  in  March, 
while  the  cedar  waxwing  and  goldfinch  often  wait  till  July.  The 
height  of  the  nesting  season  at  Rhinebeck  is  during  the  first  ten  days 
of  June. 

Having  studied  the  earliest  dates  when  complete  clutches  of 
eggs  can  be  found,  it  is  interesting  to  know  when  the  last  young  leave 
the  nest — in  other  words,  the  range  of  time  during  which  each  species 
may  be  expected  to  breed. 

Some  young  birds,  like  the  hawks,  owls,  and  herons,  spend 
weeks  in  the  nest,  while  others,  like  the  chipping  sparrow,  are  prac- 
tically full  grown  and  are  able  to  leave  in  a few  days.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  chipping  sparrow  raises  several  broods,  so  its  nesting  season 
is  really  longer  than  the  owls'.  An  enormous  number  of  accidents 
attend  every  nesting  season,  and  when  a nest  is  destroyed,  its  owner 
usually  makes  one  or  more  additional  attempts  to  raise  a brood.  In 
this  manner  a bird  which  normally  nests  in  May  will  find  itself  busily 
occupied  with  household  duties  in  July. 

My  data  on  this  subject  are  very  meagre  and  fragmentary,  but 
some  of  the  above  mentioned  facts  are  clearly  shown.  Thus,  the 
barred  owl’s  young  leave  their  nest  by  May  25th,  when  about  two 
dozen  species  have  not  yet  finished  building  their  nests. 


37 


The  warblers  raise  but  one  brood  and  their  young  mature  quick- 
ly. A few  of  their  nesting  periods  follow:  black  and  white  warbler, 
May  16-June  28;  golden-winged  warbler,  May  20-June  15;  redstart, 
May  2 4- July  3;  chestnut-sided  warbler,  May  2 6- August  2 (clearly  a 
case  of  an  accident  to  the  first  brood)  ; yellow-breasted  chat,  Junel- 
July  13.  Thus  the  average  breeding  season  of  these  warblers  is 
forty-four  days. 

Now  take  the  thrush  family.  We  will  omit  the  veery  which 
raises  only  one  brood.  The  robin  often  raises  three,  the  bluebird 
and  the  wood  thrush,  two.  Bluebird,  April  1-July  23;  robin,  April 
22-August  6;  wood  thrush,  May  24-July  27.  The  average  here  is 
ninety-four  days. 

The  catbird  and  house  wren,  which  raise  two  broods,  have  nest- 
ing periods  of  85  and  81  days,  respectively.  The  song  sparrow’s  is 
96  days  and  that  of  the  chippy  110,  four  days  longer  that  the  robin’s. 
The  orioles  and  vireos  have  short  seasons.  The  cuckoos  have  a 
peculiar  habit  of  laying  a second  clutch  of  eggs  in  the  same  nest 
with  the  young  of  the  first  brood,  before  the  latter  are  old  enough  to 
leave.  The  bluebird’s  record  of  114  days  is  the  longest  I have  yet 
noted. 


Latest  Nesting  Dates 

May  17 — Bank  swallow,  1901. 

May  25 — Barred  owl,  1915. 

May  26 — White-breasted  nuthatch,  1909. 

May  28 — Wood  pewee,  1909,  building. 

May  31 — Hairy  woodpecker,  1914. 

June  2 — Veery,  1914,  eggs. 

June  3 — Downy  woodpecker,  1901;  warbling  vireo,  1901,  eggs. 
June  14 — Brown  thrasher,  1909,  eggs. 

June  15 — Golden-winged  warbler,  1902;  rose-breasted  gros- 
beak. 1909. 

June  24 — Maryland  yellow-throat,  1901,  egg. 

June  27 — Ovenbird,  1914,  2 eggs. 

June  28 — Crow,  1901-02;  black  and  white  warbler,  1902;  purple 
martin,  1905,  Poughkeepsie;  Baltimore  oriole,  1905. 
June  30 — Chickadee,  1900;  green  heron,  1901. 

July  1 — Blue  jay,  1902,  eggs. 

July  2 — Hummingbird,  1904. 

July  3 — Redstart,  1914. 

July  4 — Field  sparrow,  1903,  1909. 

July  6 — Red-shouldered  hawk,  1904. 

July  7 — Kingfisher,  1901. 

July  10 — Killdeer,  1915,  eggs  hatching. 

July  11 — Orchard  oriole,  1902. 

July  12 — Flicker,  1903. 

July  13 — Yellow-breasted  chat,  1901,  eggs. 

July  14 — Kingbird,  1903;  crested  flycatcher,  1903. 


38 


July  16 — Towhee,  1902. 

July  17 — Red-winged  blackbird,  1901,  eggs. 

July  19 — Indigo  bunting,  1901,  eggs;  chimney  swift,  1915. 

July  21 — Meadowlark,  1903. 

July  22 — Barn  swallow,  1914. 

July  23 — Bobwhite,  1903,  eggs;  bluebird,  1903,  eggs;  phoebe, 
1914. 

July  27 — Wood  thrush,  1904,  eggs  pipping. 

July  28 — Red-eyed  vireo,  1904. 

July  29 — Worm-eating  warbler (?),  1901. 

Aug.  2 — Chestnut-sided  warbler,  1903. 

Aug.  3 — Black-billed  cuckoo,  1901. 

Aug.  6 — Robin,  1914. 

Aug.  11 — Catbird,  1903. 

Aug.  13 — Song  sparrow,  1914;  house  wren,  1914. 

Aug.  14 — Scarlet  tanager,  1901. 

Aug.  15 — Vesper  sparrow,  1914. 

Sept.  3 — Chipping  sparrow,  1901. 

Sept.  5 — Cedar  waxwing,  1901. 

Sept.  12 — Mourning  dove,  1902. 

Sept.  17 — Yellow-billed  cuckoo,  1901;  goldfinch,  1901,  eggs 
hatched  on  16th,  so  young  probably  spent  some 
time  longer  in  the  nest. 


I think  few  people  realize  that  five  species  can  be  found  nesting 
here  in  September. 


—July  24th,  1915.  * 


The  Federal  Bird  Census 

The  Biological  Survey  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  last  year  started 
a national  bird  census  and  proposes  to  hold  it  annually,  so  as  to  de- 
termine if  possible,  whether  birds  are  increasing  or  decreasing,  what 
species  need  protection,  what  environments  suit  them  best  and  other 
important  matters  dealing  with  economic  ornithology. 

Every  one  who  is  interested  is  invited  to  select  a piece  of  farm 
or  woodland,  not  less  than  forty  acres  in  extent,  as  a rule,  and  to 
count  the  number  of  breeding  pairs  of  birds  found  on  it.  This  is 
done  by  making  a careful  count  of  the  singing  males  heard  early 
in  the  morning  in  the  beginning  of  June,  when  all  the  transients 
have  left  for  the  north  and  the  summer  residents  have  mostly  settled 
down  to  housekeeping.  Some  species,  like  the  nighthawk,  have  no 
true  song  and  care  must  be  taken  not  to  .overlook  them. 

I decided  this  year  to  make  such  a census,  and  selected  a tract 
of  about  210  acres,  divided  as  follows — drives,  lawns,  gardens  and 
buildings,  15  acres:  orchards,  40  acres;  hay,  25  acres;  corn,  20  acres; 
oats,  11  acres;  rye,  7 acres;  woods  and  swampland,  92  acres.  The 
task  of  counting  all  the  breeding  pairs  was  more  difficult  than  it  at 
first  seemed,  particularly  in  the  casfe  of  the  commoner  birds,  such  as 
the  chipping  sparrow  and  robin.  I carried  a pad  and  pencil  in  my 


39 


pocket  and  worked  over  each  section  separately  several  times.  Even 
the  cultivated  land  had  to  be  gone  over,  as  the  fields  contained  trees 
in  which  many  birds  might  nest.  Of  course,  it  was  not  necessary 
actually  to  find  each  nest,  the  continued  presence  of  the  adult  birds 
was  sufficient  evidence. 

In  this  way  I counted  387  pairs  of  56  species.  The  robins,  chip- 
pies and  song  sparrows  were  partly  estimated,  but  in  every  case  the 
figures  are  conservative  and  at  least  that  number  of  pairs  was 
present.  The  list  follows: 

Robin,  38  pairs;  chipping  sparrow,  37;  song  sparrow,  36;  cat- 
bird, 19;  ovenbird,  18;  house  sparrow  and  wood  thrush,  each  17; 
house  wren,  15;  veery,  13;  red-eyed  vireo,  11;  Maryland  yellow- 
throat,  10;  wood  pewee  and  Baltimore  oriole,  each,  9;  flicker  and 
chestnut-sided  warbler,  each,  8;  yellow-throated  vireo,  7;  downy 
woodpecker,  6;  phoebe,  blue  jay,  scarlet  tanager,  indigo  bunting, 
black  and  white  warbler,  golden-winged  warbler  and  redstart,  each,  5 ; 
chimney  swift,  crested  flycatcher,  starling,  cowbird,  meadowlark, 
vesper  sparrow,  yellow  warbler  and  bluebird,  each,  4 ; kingbird,  gold- 
finch, field  sparrow  and  warbling  vireo,  each,  3 ; hummingbird,  hairy 
woodpecker,  least  flycatcher,  crow,  red-winged  blackbird,  grasshopper 
sparrow,  worm-eating  warbler,  Louisiana  water-thrush,  white-breast- 
ed nuthatch,  chickadee,  each  2 ; mourning  dove,  barred  owl,  king- 
fisher, bobolink,  orchard  oriole,  swamp  sparrow,  towhee,  barn  swal- 
low, bank  swallow  and  cedar  waxwing,  each,  1. 

It  will  be  interesting  to  see  from  year  to  year  what  new  species 
may  nest  on  this  tract,  or  what  species  will  fail  to  return;  also,  the 
increase  and  decrease  in  the  numbers  of  the  regularly  breeding 
species.  Since  I put  up  boxes  last  spring  there  has  been  a great  in- 
crease in  the  number  of  wrens.  Until  this  year  I have  never  had 
more  than  about  five  pairs.  On  the  other  hand,  twelve  species  that 
have  nested  on  the  chosen  tract  were  absent  this  season.  They  are 
the  wood  duck,  green  heron,  bobwhite,  red-shouldered  hawk,  sparrow 
hawk,  screech  owl,  yellow-billed  cuckoo,  fish  crow,  white-eyed  vireo, 
yellow-breasted  chat  and  brown  thrasher.  Four  species  that  have 
nested  near  the  tract,  but  never,  to  my  knowledge,  on  it,  are  the 
ruffed  grouse,  ring-necked  pheasant,  Savannah  sparrow  and  Henslow 
sparrow. 

— July  31st,  1915. 


Tragedies  of  the  Nesting  Season 

Every  bird  is  beset  with  dangers  large  and  small  from  the  time 
the  egg  it  comes  from  is  laid  to  the  moment  when  it  at  last  succumbs 
to  the  elements  or  to  its  live  enemies — for  practically  no  wild  crea- 
ture dies  a natural  death  from  sheer  old  age.  That  pleasure  is 
reserved  for  human  beings  and  the  cattle,  pets  and  caged  beasts 
which  they  have  in  their  care.  Nature  is  wasteful  and  cruel,  though 
outwardly  smiling,  and  there  are  tragedies  enacted  about  us  daily 
of  which  we  never  dream. 


40 


Photograph  by  C.  G.  Abbott 

YOUNG  CEDAR  WAXWINGS 
Grasmere 


Photograph  by  C.  G.  Abbott 

SONG  SPARROW  ON  ROSE-BUSH  NEST 
Grasmere 

41 


Every  year  I run  across  a number  of  nests  and  I am  always 
surprised  to  see  how  few  produce  a brood  successfully.  The  time 
spent  in  the  nest  and  the  period  immediately  after  leaving  it,  before 
the  flight  feathers  are  fully  developed,  form  the  most  dangerous 
stage  in  the  life  of  a bird,  for  then  it  is  nearly  helpless  and  depends 
entirely  on  the  instincts  of  its  overworked  parents. 

We  can  do  a lot  to  make  it  safe  for  birds  to  nest  near  us,  but 
there  are  many  dangers  which  we  cannot  mitigate  or  control.  We 
can  kill  cats  and  red  squirrels  and  English  sparrows  and  black  snakes, 
and  yet  we  cannot  prevent  more  from  coming.  We  can  set  up 
shelves  for  robins  to  nest  on,  but  they  will  often  put  their  clumsy 
structure  on  some  flimsy  vine  and  a rainstorm  or  the  weight  of  the 
growing  young  finally  dashes  it  to  the  ground.  A little  warbler 
may  have  started  its  nest  in  a most  secluded  spot,  but  a cowbird  will 
happen  along,  remove  one  or  more  eggs  and  lay  its  own  in  the  nest 
instead.  Then  the  unsuspecting  warbler  will  hatch  the  cowbird’s  egg 
and  the  young  interloper  will  crush  or  oust  the  rightful  tenants. 

Gulls,  crows,  jays,  grackles  and  even  catbirds  occasionally  help 
themselves  to  their  neighbors’  eggs,  and  if  a wren  has  an  argument 
with  another  bird,  she  will  sometimes  get  even  by  pecking  holes  in 
the  eggs  of  her  enemy.  Foxes,  skunks,  raccoons,  weasles,  rats  and 
mice,  as  well  as  a few  rarer  hawks  and  owls,  relish  young  birds,  and 
where  they  abound  bird  life  is  usually  scant. 

Although  I have  been  but  little  in  the  field  during  the  present 
nesting  season,  I have  witnessed  a number  of  tragedies.  On  April 
first  I found  my  earliest  bluebird’s  nest  with  four  eggs  in  it.  On  the 
fourth  came  a blizzard  and  the  bluebird  deserted  and  started  a new 
nest  in  a box  fastened  to  a thorn  tree.  In  this  she  safely  hatched 
six  young.  Just  before  they  were  ready  to  fly  I found  them  all  dead 
in  the  box,  sitting  up  with  an  expectant  look  in  their  glazed  eyes. 
The  nest  was  badly  soiled,  so  the  birds  must  have  starved  to  death. 
Either  food  was  too  scarce  or  both  parents  had  been  killed  at  this 
crucial  time. 

A song  sparrow  hatched  four  eggs  near  the  edge  of  a wood. 
When  the  young  were  about  three  days  old  I found  them  dead  in 
the  nest  and  the  old  bird  gone.  Not  twenty  feet  away  a black  and 
white  warbler  built  her  nest.  A cowbird  laid  the  first  egg  in  it. 
Next  day  there  were  two  cowbird’s  and  a warbler’s  egg.  I removed 
the  cowbird’s  eggs  and  eventually  the  warbler  laid  five  eggs  and  I 
have  reason  to  believe  successfully  reared  her  brood,  for  there  has 
been  a little  flock  of  warblers  in  those  woods  ever  since.  A pair  of 
ovenbirds  near  by  hid  their  nest  too  well  for  me  but  not  too  well  for 
the  cowbird,  as  I have  seen  them  recently  feeding  two  immense, 
overgrown  youngsters  twice  as  big  as  their  foster-parents.  The  poor 
deluded  ovenbirds  were  perfectly  devoted  and  fed  the  wretched  cow- 
birds  as  fast  as  they  could.  Behind  this  scene  I could  see  the 
tragedy  of  the  baby  ovenbirds  that  had  probably  been  crushed  or 
starved  in  the  nest. 

A veery  had  a nest  under  a piece  of  wire  netting,  containing 
four  eggs.  After  a few  days  she  deserted,  perhaps  because  the  wire 


42 


netting  grew  no  leaves  and  she  felt  conspicuous.  A redstart,  with 
a nest  ten  feet  up  in  an  ash,  either  ate  her  own  eggs  after  I found 
her  abode,  or  else  lost  them  to  some  intruder.  A mourning  dove 
built  her  nest  in  a locust  tree  on  my  drive,  but  her  wild  nature  could 
not  endure  the  frequent  traffic  on  the  road  beneath  her  and  she 
deserted.  A red-eyed  vireo  deserted  her  first  clutch  of  eggs  and, 
after  building  a new  nest,  has  successfully  hatched  a second.  A 
nuthatch  deserted  her  nest  in  a knothole  after  my  dog  had  chased  a 
squirrel  into  it.  A tanager  never  completed  the  nest  I saw  it  build- 
ing in  May.  A wood  thrush  deserted  her  nestful  of  eggs. 

A friend  of  mine  put  up  several  bird  boxes,  but  a wren  that  had 
always  used  her  awning  insisted  on  continuing  to  nest  in  it.  When 
the  young  were  almost  ready  to  fly  they  were  all  knocked  out  of  the 
nest  and  died.  Whether  the  wind  did  it  or  not  I do  not  know.  A 
phoebe  on  my  house  met  with  a similar  experience,  but  I suspect 
English  sparrows  as  the  culprits,  for  the  nest  was  in  a very  safe 
situation.  A few  days  ago  some  children  took  a young  oriole  away 
from  a cat,  and  thus  saved  its  life.  Probably  the  cat’s  owner  still 
thinks  “My  cat  doesn’t  touch  birds,  it  was  somebody’s  else  cat.”  Do 
you  know,  every  one  who  owns  a cat  says  that  to  me! 

How  small  a percentage  of  the  total  number  of  accidents  this 
list  must  represent!  Imagine  the  struggle  for  existence  in  a place 
where  wild  enemies  abound  and  where  children  hunt  birds  instead  of 
protecting  them.  Even  after  they  have  reached  maturity,  birds  are 
never  safe  from  their  enemies  and  have  to  face  either  the  long  flights 
of  the  autumn  and  spring  migrations  or  the  months  of  cold  and 
starvation  of  our  long  winters. 

Let  us  therefore  try  to  eliminate  the  enemies  of  the  birds. 
Let  us  plant  shrubs  and  put  up  boxes  for  birds  to  nest  in.  Let  us 
feed  them  in  winter  and  provide  a pan  of  water  for  them  to  drink 
and  bathe  in  in  summer.  Let  us  encourage  our  children  to  study 
them  and  keep  their  fingers  out  of  their  nests.  It  is  not  much  trouble 
and  is  infinitely  worth  while. 

Since  writing  the  above,  an  indigobird  has  lost  her  entire  set  of 
three  eggs  and  a hummingbird,  which  deserted  its  first  nest  is  now 
safely  bringing  a second  brood  to  maturity.  A nest  of  five  young- 
swifts  fell  down  a neighbor’s  chimney  and  after  vain  attempts  had 
been  made  to  feed  them,  all  died. 

— Aug.  7th,  1915. 


Bird  Banding 

We  know  a good  deal  about  the  nesting  and  feeding  habits  of 
birds,  of  their  songs,  call-notes,  plumage,  internal  structure  and  so 
forth.  But  there  are  other  important  facts  concerning  them  of 
which  we  as  yet  know  little  or  nothing.  One  much-discussed  question 
is  whether  the  variation  in  plumage  of  the  same  species  in  different 
parts  of  the  country  due  to  climatic  conditions,  is  sufficient  to  sub- 
divide the  species  into  subspecies.  Another  is  the  mystery  of  the 
power  of  flight,  so  well  illustrated  by  the  long-continued  soaring  of 


43 


hawks  without  any  perceptible  wing-motion.  Other  questions,  which 
have  puzzled  scientists  for  centuries,  are  where  birds  go  when  they 
leave  us,  whether  they  return  to  their  original  homes,  and  how  long 
they  live  in  a wild  state. 

These  last  three  mysteries  are  very  slowly  being  cleared  up. 
A number  of  years  ago  some  European  ornithologists  devised  the 
scheme  of  putting  small,  harmless,  aluminum  bands  on  young  birds 
before  they  left  the  nest  and  of  numbering  and  marking  the  bands 
so  that  if  their  wearers  were  ever  shot  or  picked  up  dead,  their 
finder  would  notify  the  banders.  The  returns  were,  of  course,  few 
and  far  between,  but  sufficient  to  warrant  the  experiments  being 
tried  in  America.  Several  individuals  attempted  banding  privately 
and  finally  the  American  Bird  Banding  Association  was  formed  to 
undertake  the  work  on  a larger  scale.  Thousands  of  bands  have 
been  made,  stamped  with  serial  numbers  and  the  words  “Notify  Am. 
Museum,  N.  Y.”  and  given  to  any  one  who  would  use  them.  A 
person  using  a band  fills  out  a card  provided  for  the  purpose  with  the 
number,  date,  locality,  species,  age  and  sex  of  the  bird  banded,  if 
known,  and  sends  this  record  to  the  American  Museum  of  Natural 
History  where  it  is  filed  away  for  future  reference  in  case  the  bird 
described  is  ever  reported. 

Several  thousand  birds  of  nearly  a hundred  species  have  been 
banded  up  to  this  time  and  many  interesting  returns  have  been 
received  showing  how  far  the  birds  have  travelled  and  how  long  they 
lived.  Almost  every  record  possesses  individual  interest.  Several 
birds  were  picked  up  within  a block  or  two  of  the  spot  where  they 
were  banded,  having  been  killed  by  cats.  Others  flew  many  hundreds 
of  miles  southward  to  spend  the  winter  and  were  shot  for  a pie.  A 
chimney  swift  banded  by  Mr.  Baynes  at  Meriden,  N.  H.,  flew  into 
his  room  just  a year  after  he  had  banded  it  and  he  was  able  to 
capture  it  in  his  hand  and  verify  the  record.  This  very  small  bird 
had  flown  all  the  way  to  its  winter  quarters  and  back  without  mishap 
and  had  been  able  to  find  the  exact  chimney  in  which  it  had  lived 
the  year  before.  A bluebird,  banded  in  Minnesota,  was  killed  by  a 
shrike  in  Iowa,  three  years  later,  presumably  while  on  its  third  north- 
ward trip  over  an  invisible  but  well-beaten  track  which  only  the 
birds  know. 

On  March  16th,  1913,  a swallow  was  captured  in  South  Africa 
bearing  a band  with  the  number  E937  on  it,  and  the  name  and  ad- 
dress of  a London  ornithologist.  The  captor  sent  the  band  to  him 
and  found  that  the  bird  had  been  banded  in  its  nest  in  Scotland  the 
summer  before.  Thus,  a few  weeks  after  it  had  left  the  nest,  this 
young  bird  had  flown  several  thousand  miles  to  spend  the  winter. 

By  means  of  these  bands  it  has  also  been  found  that  birds  do 
not  always  start  south  when  they  leave  the  nest,  but  may  range  east 
or  west,  or  even  north,  in  search  of  food  before  the  time  for  south- 
ward migration  arrives. 

The  following  species  have  been  banded  in  Rhinebeck  within 
the  last  year  or  two : woodcock,  1 ; screech  owl,  1 ; chimney  swift,  2 ; 
downy  woodpecker,  1;  goldfinch,!;  chipping  sparrow,  4;  song  spar- 


44 


row,  3;  barn  swallow,  5;  black  and  white  warbler,  1;  wood  thrush, 
2;  robin,  15.  No  returns  have  as  yet  been  reported. 

If  carefully  done,  banding  does  not  injure  a bird  in  any  way. 
nor  does  it  interfere  with  its  walking  or  flight  or  make  it  conspicu- 
ous to  hunters  or  natural  enemies.  Not  one  bird  has  been  shot  be- 
cause it  was  thought  to  be  wearing  a band. 

— August  14  th,  1915. 

Arrival  of  Transients  From  the  North 

Although  the  nesting  season  here  will  drag  along  until  about 
the  first  of  September,  and  a few  dilatory  or,  perhaps,  extra  ener- 
getic species  may  continue  well  on  into  the  month,  farther  north  the 
season  is  over  and  already  the  southward  tide  of  migration  has 
started.  Our  own  summer  residents  will  disappear  one  by  one,  but 
we  shall  hardly  miss  them,  for  almost  all  except  the  pewee,  goldfinch 
and  song  sparrow  have  already  stopped  singing. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  transients  are  arriving  from  the  Adiron- 
dacks  and  Canada.  In  ever  increasing  numbers  they  come,  until  the 
September  woods  swarm  with  them.  They  are  more  numerous  than 
in  May,  owing  to  the  presence  of  the  young  of  the  year,  but  much 
less  noticeable  on  account  of  their  general  silence  and  usually  duller 
colors.  And  how  confusing  those  juvenile  and  winter  plumages  are! 
The  warblers,  especially,  are  enough  to  drive  the  amateur  student 
crazy.  Even  our  commoner  birds  are  often  hard  to  recognize.  The 
bobolink  becomes  brown  like  his  mate  and  so  does  the  goldfinch,  while 
the  scarlet  tanager  assumes  the  greenish  tints  of  his  better  half. 

The  first  birds  to  flock  and  move  southward  are  the  swallows, 
generally  late  in  July.  The  appearance  of  the  first  great  blue  heron 
is  a good  sign  that  the  migration  has  commenced.  At  that  time  we 
will  notice  that  our  warblers  have  banded  together  in  flocks  consisting 
of  several  species,  usually  attended  by  a few  chickadees. 

The  following  list  gives  the  earliest  records  of  autumn  arrival 
at  Rhinebeck: 

July  9 — Tree  swallow,  1914. 

July  13 — Cliff  swallow,  1914. 

July  16 — Purple  martin,  1911.  Summer  resident  at  Pough- 
keepsie. 

Aug.  1 — Common  tern,  1911;  great  blue  heron,  1911;  solitary 
sandpiper. 

Aug.  9 — Magnolia  warbler,  1909;  Bicknell  thrush,  1914;  osprey, 
1915,  near  Hudson. 

Aug.  10 — Florida  gallinule,  1915. 

Aug.  11 — Mourning  warbler,  1915;  Canadian  warbler,  1915. 

Aug.  13 — Blackburnian  warbler,  1914;  water  thrush,  1915. 

Aug.  14 — Black  duck,  1915. 

Aug.  15 — Herring  gull,  1903;  broad-winged  hawk,  1909. 

Aug.  17— Yellow-bellied  flycatcher,  1913. 

Aug.  18 — Wilson  warbler,  1915. 


45 


Aug.  19 — Nighthawk,  1912. 

Aug.  20 — Blue-winged  warbler,  1912. 

Ang.  21 — Black-throated  green  warbler,  1901. 

Aug.  24 — Purple  finch,  1911. 

Aug.  25 — Bay-breasted  warbler,  1914;  pine  warbler,  1914. 

Sept.  2 — Black-throated  blue  warbler,  1911. 

Sept.  4 — American  bittern,  1914;  Savannah  sparrow,  1914; 

Nashville  warbler,  1914;  Cape  May  warbler,  1911; 
myrtle  warbler,  1914. 

Sept.  6 — Connecticut  warbler,  1913. 

Sept.  7 — Red-headed  woodpecker,  1903,  probably  resident  near 
by;  Philadelphia  vireo,  1914. 

Sept.  8 — Horned  grebe,  1914;  hooded  warbler,  1914;  brown 
creeper,  1914. 

Sept.  10 — White-throated  sparrow,  1914;  Lincoln  sparrow,  1914; 
red-breasted  nuthatch,  1914. 

Sept.  12 — Pied-billed  grebe,  1914;  Tennessee  warbler,  1914; 
Parula  warbler,  1914. 

Sept.  14 — Blue-headed  vireo,  1911;  blackpoll  warbler,  1914; 
ruby-crowned  kinglet,  1914. 

Sept.  18 — Pipit,  1911;  junco,  1914;  olive-backed  thrush,  1914. 
Sept.  20 — Winter  wren,  1914. 

Sept.  22 — Hermit  thrush,  1911. 

Sept.  23 — Yellow-bellied  sapsucker. 

Sept.  28 — Pigeon  hawk,  1914. 

Sept.  29 — Golden-crowned  kinglet,  1913. 

Sept.  30 — Henslow  sparrow,  1914,  summered  in  1910-11. 

Oct.  3 — Sharp-shinned  hawk,  1913. 

Oct.  6 — Yellow  palm  warbler,  1912. 

Oct.  7 — Bufflehead,  1913. 

Oct.  9 — Rusty  blackbird,  1914. 

Oct.  9 — White-crowned  sparrow,  1910. 

Oct.  11 — Pine  siskin,  1913. 

Oct.  12— Mallard,  1913, 

Oct.  18 — Canada  goose,  1909. 

Oct.  21 — Coot,  1914. 

Oct.  26 — Fox  sparrow,  1911. 

Oct.  29 — Duck  hawk,  1914. 

Oct.  30 — Bronzed  grackle,  1911. 

Oct.  31 — Tree  sparrow,  1911. 

Nov.  1 — Northern  shrike,  1913;  horned  lark,  1914. 

Nov.  5 — Goshawk,  1913. 

Nov.  9 — Redpoll,  1914. 

Nov.  12 — Rough-legged  hawk,  1913. 

Nov.  13 — Snowflake,  1913. 

Nov.  27 — Acadian  chickadee,  1913. 

Dec.  3 — Golden-eye,  1909. 

Dec.  10 — American  merganser,  1913. 

Dec.  25 — Evening  grosbeak,  1910. 

Dec.  27 — Canvasback,  1909. 


46 


Dec.  ? — Short-eared  owl,  1908. 

Dec.  ? — Snowy  owl,  1909. 

Feb.  12 — Holboell  grebe,  1912. 

Mar.  8 — Hoary  redpoll,  1912. 

Mar.  25 — Lapland  longspur,  1912. 

Mar.  27 — Pine  grosbeak,  1912. 

Among  the  last-named  species  are  half  a dozen  accidental  winter 
visitants. 

The  Bicknell  thrush  is  practically  indistinguishable  from  the 
gray-cheek,  but  its  summer  range  is  south  of  the  latter’s  and  it  there- 
fore generally  reaches  us  sooner.  The  Florida  gallinule  and  coot 
are  known  as  “mudhens.”  The  former  is  a wader  with  irridescent 
purplish  plumage  and  white  markings.  The  latter  is  slate-colored, 
with  a white  bill  and  has  its  feet  partly  webbed  or  lobed  to  aid  it  in 
swimming.  Both  species  are  found  in  the  bays  along  the  river  and 
it  is  probable  that  the  gallinule  breeds  there.  The  blue-winged  and 
Connecticut  warblers  are  very  rare  here  and  I have  had  one  of  each 
reported  to  me.  I have  one  record  of  the  hooded  warbler,  a near 
relative  of  the  Maryland  yellow-throat.  The  pipit  is  a sparrow-like 
bird  that  appears  in  our  ploughed  fields  and  stubble  in  autumn.  It 
walks  instead  of  hopping.  The  short-eared  owl  is  a great  mouser  and 
is  frequently  seen  on  the  ground.  I have  never  seen  any  of  these 
species  in  spring. 

— August.  21st,  1915. 


The  Departure  for  the  South 

The  southward  migration  is  now  in  full  swing  and  it  is  time  to 
consider  the  dates  of  departure  of  the  various  species  that  have  spent 
the  summer  with  us  and  also  of  those  that  are  passing  through  from 
the  north.  The  shore  birds  and  swallows  are  the  first  to  go  and 
these  are  followed  by  some  of  the  warblers  and  flycatchers;  then  the 
orioles,  vireos,  cuckoos  and  thrushes,  and  finally  the  hardier  sparrows, 
the  blackbirds,  the  ducks  and  some  of  the  hawks. 

The  spring  migration  is  not  so  much  affected  by  the  weather  as 
is  the  southward  movement.  Warm  weather  will  often  detain  the 
wanderers  for  weeks  during  the  late  autumn,  while  an  early  cold 
snap  will  send  them  all  away  almost  in  a single  night.  The  list  of 
latest  dates  of  departure  in  this  neighborhood  follows: 

Aug.  1 — Common  tern,  1911. 

Aug.  2 — White-eyed  vireo,  1913;  purple  martin,  1914. 

Aug.  4 — Yellow-breasted  chat,  1901. 

Aug.  12 — Long-billed  marsh  wren,  1915. 

Aug.  15 — Cliff  swallow,  1909. 

Aug.  17 — Bank  swallow,  1915. 

Aug.  20 — Blue-winged  warbler,  1912;  yellow-bellied  flycatcher, 
1913. 

Aug.  26 — Orchard  oriole,  1901;  mourning  warbler,  1914. 

47 


Aug.  27 — Acadian  flycatcher,  1915. 

Aug.  30 — Killdeer,  1914;  worm-eating  warbler,  1914. 

Sept.  1 — Golden-winged  warbler,  1901,  1915. 

Sept.  2 — Louisiana  water-thrush,  1905;  alder  flycatcher,  1915. 

Sept.  4 — American  bittern,  1914;  Canadian  warbler,  1914; 
Bicknell  thrush,  1914. 

Sept.  5 — Veery,  1901;  whippoorwill,  1915. 

Sept.  6 — Connecticut  warbler,  1913. 

Sept.  7 — Philadelphia  vireo,  1914. 

Sept.  8 — Chestnut-sided  warbler,  1915;  hooded  warbler,  1914. 

Sept.  10 — Bay-breasted  warbler,  1914. 

Sept.  11- — Spotted  sandpiper,  1901;  tree  swallow,  1902. 

Sept.  14 — Barn  swallow,  1914. 

Sept.  15 — Bobolink,  1901;  yellow  warbler,  1913. 

Sept.  16 — Least  flycatcher,  1914;  Wilson  warbler,  1914. 

Sept.  17 — Tennessee  warbler,  1914;  yellow-billed  cuckoo,  1901. 

Sept.  18 — Indigo  bunting,  1901;  warbling  vireo,  1901;  crested 
flycatcher,  1913. 

Sept.  19 — Yellow- throated  vireo,  1902;  Blackburnian  warbler, 
1902. 

Sept.  20 — Red-headed  woodpecker,  1903,  wintered  in  1914. 

Sept.  21 — Kingbird,  1901;  Baltimore  oriole,  1901;  black-billed 
cuckoo,  1902;  redstart,  1914. 

Sept.  25 — Ovenbird,  1903;  house  wren,  1903,  1914;  nighthawk, 
1909. 

Sept.  28 — Solitary  sandpiper,  1914. 

Sept.  29 — Chimney  swift,  1914. 

Sept.  30 — Wood  pewee,  1914;  water  thrush,  1914;  wood  thrush, 
1914. 

Oct.  1 — Cape  May  warbler,  1914. 

Oct.  3 — Hummingbird,  1913;  pigeon  hawk,  1914. 

Oct.  5 — Florida  gallinule,  1914;  red-eyed  vireo,  1914;  pine 
warbler,  1914. 

Oct.  7 — Rose-breasted  grosbeak,  1914;  brown  thrasher,  1914. 

Oct.  8 — Black  and  white  warbler,  1914;  Nashville  warbler, 
1914;  northern  parula  warbler,  1914;  magnolia 
warbler,  1914;  black-throated  green  warbler,  1914. 

Oct.  9 — Green  heron,  1910;  black-crowned  night  heron,  1910; 
osprey,  1910. 

Oct.  15— Grasshopper  sparrow,  1914;  black-throated  blue  warb- 
ler, 1914;  olive-backed  thrush,  1914. 

Oct.  18 — -Phoebe,  1914;  blackpoll  warbler,  1914. 

Oct.  21 — Broad-winged  hawk,  1909;  coot,  1914;  white-crowned 
sparrow,  1914;  Maryland  yellow-throat,  1914. 

Oct.  23 — Chipping  sparrow,  1911;  yellow  palm  warbler,  1911; 
blue-headed  vireo,  1914. 

Oct.  24 — Sharp-shinned  hawk,  1913;  towhee,  1913. 

Oct.  29 — Field  sparrow,  1913. 

Oct.  31 — Vesper  sparrow,  1911;  Henslow  sparrow,  1911. 


48 


Oct.  ?— Sora,  1910. 

Nov.  1 — Savannah  sparrow,  1914;  swamp  sparrow,  1914;  Lin- 
coln sparrow,  1914. 

Nov.  2 — Myrtle  warbler,  1909,  1913. 

Nov.  4 — Red-breasted  nuthatch,  1914. 

Nov.  5 — Goshawk,  1913;  hermit  thrush,  1914. 

Nov.  6 — Pipit,  1911. 

Nov.  7 — Rusty  grackle,  1911. 

Nov.  10 — Catbird,  1909;  purple  grackle,  1914. 

Nov.  15 — Fox  sparrow,  1911. 

Nov.  19 — Bronzed  Grackle,  1900. 

Nov.  24 — Cowbird,  1914,  also  3 winter  records. 

Nov.  26 — Yellow-bellied  sapsucker,  1914. 

Nov.  ? — Woodcock. 

Dec.  3 — Mourning  dove,  1908;  golden-eye,  1909;  Canada  goose, 
1910. 

Dec.  5 — Wood  duck,  1913. 

Dec.  7 — Pied-billed  grebe,  1910;  mallard,  1910. 

Dec.  9 — Duck  hawk,  1914. 

Dec.  10 — Red-winged  blackbird,  1909;  winter  wren,  1913. 

Dec.  16 — Great  blue  heron,  1913. 

Dec.  25 — White-throated  sparrow,  1913. 

Dec.  27 — Meadowlark,  1901;  horned  grebe,  1909;  bufflehead, 
1909;  canvasback,  1909. 

Dec.  29 — Purple  finch,  1911,  sometimes  winters. 

Dec.  31 — Black  duck,  1911,  sometimes  winters. 

Dec.  ? — Short-eared  owl,  1908. 

Jan.  2 — Flicker,  1911;  robin,  1915,  sometimes  winters. 

Jan.  3 — Ruby-crowned  kinglet,  1909;  kingfisher,  1911. 

Jan.  4 — Song  sparrow,  1902,  rare  in  winter. 

Jan.  6 — American  merganser,  1914,  rare  in  winter. 

Jan.  8 — Bluebird,  1915. 

— September  25,  1915. 


49 


Photograph  by  Tracy  Dows 

PHEASANTS  LEAVING  FOOD  SHELTER  ON  TERRACE 
Foxhollow  Farm 


Photograph  by  Tracy  Dows 


PHEASANTS  UNDER  FOOD  HOUSE 
Foxhollow  Farm 

50 


Second  Annual  Report 
Rhinebeck  Bird  Club 


1916 


51 


The  Rhinebeck  Bird  Club 
Officers 


(□I  IS  El 


MAUNSELL  S.  CROSBY 

PRESIDENT 


MRS.  JACOB  H.  STRONG 

FIRST  VICE-PRESIDENT 


ERNEST  C.  PULLEN 


CLINTON.  G.  ABBOTT 


SECOND  VICE-PRESIDENT 


SECRETARY 


TRACY  DOWS 

TREASURER 


MAUNSELL  S.  CROSBY 

GENERAL  MANAGER 


Board  of  Directors 


(Term  of  office  expires  November,  1917) 

CLINTON  G.  ABBOTT 
MAUNSELL  S.  CROSBY 
TRACY  DOWS 
MRS.  JAMES  F.  GOODELL 
MRS.  JACOB  H.  STRONG 


(Term  of  office  expires  November,  1918) 

MRS.  GEORGE  F.  COOKINGHAM 
DR.  JAMES  F.  GOODELL 
REV.  L.  A.  MITCHELL 
ERNEST  C.  PULLEN 
MISS  CAROLYN  WELLS 


Committee  on  School  Work 

CLINTON  G.  ABBOTT  LEWIS  B.  BARBER 

ERNEST  C.  PULLEN 


Committee  on  Bird  Boxes  and  Bird  Feeding 

ROBERT  G.  DECKER  TRACY  DOWS 

THOMAS  A.  ROBINSON 


Library  Committee 

TRACY  DOWS  MISS  JENNIE  FELLOWS 

DR.  GEORGE  N.  MILLER 


52 


The  Second  Annual  Meeting  of  the 
Rhinebeck  Bird  Club 


0 ED  0 


THE  proceedings  of  the  second  annual  meeting  of  the  Rhinebeck 
Bird  Club  and  of  its  Board  of  Directors,  held  at  the  High 
School  Building  on  December  2,  1916,  may  be  summarized  as 
follows : 

The  reports  of  the  various  officers  were  presented,  accepted, 
end  placed  on  file. 


Report  of  the  Secretary 

Since  the  last  annual  meeting,  the  Rhinebeck  Bird  Club  has  held 
four  public  lectures  on  the  following  dates:  February  1,  March  17, 
June  6,  and  October  18,  1916.  In  addition,  there  have  been  meetings 
of  the  Executive  Committee  on  August  30,  and  November  21.  It  is 
the  aim  of  the  Society  to  hold  some  sort  of  a public  meeting  every 
other  month,  and  this  schedule  was  approximately  adhered  to  until 
the  July  meeting,  for  which  a field  day  had  been  planned.  Owing  to 
the  absence  of  the  President  on  military  duty,  this  meeting  had  to 
be  abandoned.  The  September  meeting  was  postponed  to  October 
on  account  of  the  danger  of  infantile  paralysis. 

The  speakers  at  the  lectures  and  their  subjects,  in  the  order 
named,  were  as  follows:  Clinton  G.  Abbott  (Secretary  of  the  Club), 
“Travels  in  Birdland”;  T.  Gilbert  Pearson  (Secretary  of  the  National 
Association  of  Audubon  Societies),  “The  Work  of  the  National  As- 
sociation”; Louis  Agassiz  Fuertes  (Bird  Artist),  “Familiar  Birds  and 
their  Notes”;  Howard  H.  Cleaves  (Assistant  Curator  of  the  Staten 
Island  Museum),  “Attracting  and  Photographing  Wild  Birds.” 

All  of  the  lectures  were  illustrated  with  lantern  slides  and  in 
addition  that  of  Mr.  Pearson  was  illustrated  with  motion  pictures. 

The  attendance  at  the  lectures  has  been  most  gratifying.  The 
crowd  attending  Mr.  Murphy’s  lecture  at  the  last  annual  meeting 
overflowed  the  capacity  of  the  High  School  auditorium  and  for  the 
lectures  this  year  the  larger  auditorium  of  the  Starr  Institute  has  been 
used.  In  order  to  protect  members  of  the  Bird  Club  who  complained 
of  being  unable  to  secure  seats,  a system  was  inaugurated,  beginning 
with  Mr.  Pearson’s  lecture,  of  charging  ten  cents  admission  to  all  non- 
members. But  little  diminution  of  numbers  was  noticed  as  a result, 
and  for  all  the  lectures  the  hall  was  filled,  with  some  persons  stand- 
ing. The  average  attendance  at  all  four  lectures  was  about  four 
hundred. 

The  membership  in  the  club  has  maintained  a satisfactory 
growth  during  the  year,  as  is  shown  by  the  following  table: 


53 


An’l 

Meet. 

An’l  Meet. 

Gain 

1915 

1916 

Life  members 

10 

14 

4 

Sustaining  members. 

10 

11 

1 

Active  members 

66 

73 

7 

Associate  members.  . 

16 

20 

4 

Junior  members 

179 

262 

83 

It  is  pleasing  to  note  that  not  a single  resident  member  has 
failed  to  renew  his  or  her  subscription. 

The  Club  has  published  during  the  year  “The  Year  Book  of  the 
Rhinebeck  Bird  Club”,  which  contained  the  Constitution  and  By-Laws 
of  the  Club,  reports  of  officers  covering  the  first  year’s  work,  and  a 
list  of  the  members.  This  was  distributed  to  members  in  January, 
1916.  The  second  annual  report  is  already  in  preparation,  to  which 
it  is  proposed  to  add  the  articles  on  Rhinebeck  Birds  by  Maunsell  S. 
Crosby,  which  appeared  in  The  Rhinebeck  Gazette,  October  3,  1914 
to  September  25,  1915.  The  Club  has  also  published  a table  of  the 
spring  bird  migration  in  Rhinebeck  compiled  by  Maunsell  S.  Crosby 
from  his  records  covering  many  years  of  observation.  This  will  be 
distributed  to  all  members  and  school  children  in  the  town  on  the 
first  of  next  March. 

Mention  might  be  made  of  the  bird  censuses  which  Mr.  Crosby 
contributed  to  the  records  of  the  Biological  Survey  in  Washington, 
D.  C.  These  were  made  in  1915  and  1916,  and  covered  210  acres  of 
the  “Grasmere”  estate.  Three  hundred  and  eighty-seven  pairs  of 
breeding  birds  were  recorded  in  1915  and  three  hundred  and  fifty- 
seven  in  1916.  The  1915  census  was  particularly  commended  in  the 
report  which  the  Department  of  Agriculture  issued  on  the  subject. 

In  the  way  of  Educational  Work,  the  Club  held  a Bird  Essay 
Contest  open  to  pupils  in  all  the  schools  of  the  township.  It  called 
for  an  article  of  not  less  than  250  words  on  some  phase  of  bird  life, 
prize  winners  to  be  decided  by  a committee  appointed  by  the  Presi- 
dent. To  each  school  was  offered  a first  prize  of  “Reed’s  Bird  Guide” 
(in  two  volumes)  and  a second  prize  of  a year’s  subscription  to  the 
magazine  “Bird-Lore.”  There  were  six  entries  in  the  contest  with 
the  following  results; 


School 


First  Prize 


Second  Prize 


High  School,  1st  year.  .Harriet  West  Florence  E.  Closs 


7th  and  8th  Grades John  0.  Hamlin  Earl  Odell 

6th  Grade  Harriet  Tator  Madeleine  Beach 

4th  and  5th  Grades Vernon  Sipperley  Joseph  Sullivan 

Flat  Rock  Jennie  Dexheimer  Clarence  Watson 

Ackert  Hook  Ernest  R.  Crapser  Helen  Beach 


The  essays  were  submitted  in  June,  and  those  winning  prizes 
were  all  subsequently  printed  in  The  Rhinebeck  Gazette.  The  prizes 
were  publicly  awarded  at  the  meeting  of  the  Club  held  on  October 
18th.  A school  contest  in  bird-feeding  devices  has  already  been 
announced  for  next  year. 


54 


Since  its  inception  the  Club  has  made  a particular  attempt  to 
interest  the  people  of  Rhinebeck  in  the  winter  feeding  of  birds,  and 
the  providing  of  nesting  boxes  in  the  summer.  A plentiful  supply 
of  these  devices  has  always  been  kept  on  hand  at  the  Club’s  head- 
quarters and  they  have  been  bought  in  considerable  numbers  by 
residents  of  the  town.  Recently  the  club  has  also  been  selling  ready- 
prepared  bird-food,  put  up  in  5 and  10  pound  bags. 

In  addition  to  its  local  work  the  Club  last  winter  inaugurated 
a little  extension  work  in  the  neighborhood  of  Rhinebeck,  with  the 
idea  of  arousing  a greater  interest  in  birds  throughout  this  part  of 
Dutchess  County.  To  this  end  the  Secretary  delivered  free  illustrated 
lectures  on  “Dutchess  County  Birds”  in  Rhinecliff,  Wurtemburgh, 
Hillside,  Staatsburg  and  Hyde  Park.  At  the  invitation  of  the  Mill- 
brook  Bird  Club,  he  also  lectured  on  the  same  subject  in  Millbrook. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Executive  Committee  held  on  November 
21,  it  was  voted  that  the  Club  should  join  the  National  Association 
of  Audubon  Societies. 

CLINTON  G.  ABBOTT, 

Secretary. 


Report  of  the  Treasurer 


Receipts 

Balance  on  hand  beginning  of  year $ 5.56 

From  dues  of  Active  members,  1916 $ 39.50 

From  dues  of  Active  Members,  1917  & 1918 11.00 

From  dues  of  Sustaining  Members,  1916 50.00 

From  dues  of  Sustaining  Members,  1917 10.00 

From  dues  of  Associate  Members,  1916 5.00 

From  dues  of  Associate  Members,  1917 5.00 

From  fees  of  Life  Members 245.00 

From  receipts  at  lectures 30.10 

From  sale  of  Bird  Boxes  and  Feeders  (gross) 24.10 

From  sale  of  Bird  Feed  (gross) 50.60 

$470.30 


$475.86 

Payments 

Rent  of  Starr  Institute,  four  evenings $ 24.00 

Printing  and  Postage 51.27 

Prize  Books,  Doubleday,  Page  & Co 12.85 

Expenses  of  Lectures 65.00 

Ten  Life  Membership  fees  transferred  to  Rhinebeck 

Savings  Bank  250.00 

$403.12 

Balance  on  hand $ 72.74 

TRACY  DOWS, 

Treasurer. 


55 


Report  of  the  General  Manage] 


The  report  of  the  Secretary  covers  practically  all  the  activities 
of  this  Club,  but  there  is  one  branch  of  which  the  General  Manager 
has  had  entire  charge,  namely  the  Junior  Audubon  work.  The  or- 
ganization of  Junior  Audubon  classes  in  the  schools  of  the  town 
is  one  of  the  most  important  departments  of  the  Rhinebeck  Bird 
Club’s  work. 

Every  teacher  who  forms  a class  of  ten  or  more  members  re- 
ceives the  National  Association  of  Audubon  Societies’  magazine, 
“Bird-Lore,”  free  of  charge  for  a year,  and  upon  payment  of  ten 
cents  each  pupil  receives  a membership  button  and  ten  illustrated 
leaflets  of  various  species  of  birds.  These  leaflets  form  the  basis 
of  bird-study  for  the  year. 

During  the  first  year  of  the  Rhinebeck  Bird  Club’s  existence,  in 
the  winter  of  1914-15,  five  classes,  numbering  in  all  91  members, 
were  formed.  Last  year  11  classes,  totalling  208  pupils,  took  the 
course,  and  so  far  the  classes  for  1916-17  number  15,  with  an  en- 
rollment of  262.  Only  three  of  the  district  schools  remain  to  be 
heard  from,  among  which  is  that  of  Rhinecliff,  which  had  a class 
last  year. 

The  importance  of  these  classes  lies  in  the  fact  that  tastes  are 
formed  in  early  youth  and  a child  who  once  gains  a knowledge  and 
a love  of  birds  will  always  have  an  instinctive  sympathy  for  wild 
creatures  in  after  life.  Such  a training  tends  to  make  the  child  a 
better  citizen  in  every  way. 


The  following  is  the  membership  tabulated  by  districts: 


District  No.  13  4 

5 6 

7 8 9 11 

No.  of  Pupils  11  20  11 

10 

10  10  11  15 

Grade  1 

25 

“ 2 

20 

“ 3 

36 

“ 4 

22 

“ 5 & 6 

34 

“ 7 & 8 

Choristers’  School — 15. 

12 

MAUNSELL  S.  CROSBY, 

General  Manager. 


Then  followed  the  election  of  five  members  of  the  Board  of 
Directors,  to  serve  for  two  years.  Mrs.  G.  F.  Cookingham,  Miss 
Carolyn  Wells,  Dr.  James  F.  Goodell,  Rev.  L.  A.  Mitchell  and  Mr. 
Ernest  C.  Pullen,  having  been  duly  nominated,  were  unanimously 
elected. 


56 


Election  of  officers  of  the  Club  for  the  ensuing  year  resulted  as 
follows : 

President  and  General  Manager — Maunsell  S.  Crosby. 

1st  Vice  President — Mrs.  Jacob  H.  Strong. 

2nd  Vice  President — Ernest  C.  Pullen. 

Secretary — Clinton  G.  Abbott. 

Treasurer — Tracy  Dows. 

Due  notice  having  been  given,  the  question  of  a change  in  the 
Constitution,  abolishing  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Club,  and 
causing  its  duties  to  devolve  upon  the  Board  of  Directors,  was 
brought  up  and  discussed.  On  motion,  it  was  unanimously  voted  to 
adopt  the  amendment,  and  the  necessary  changes  in  the  wording  of 
the  Constitution  were  ordered  made. 

The  revised  Constitution  is  appended: 

Constitution 

ARTICLE  I 
Name 

The  name  of  this  organization  shall  be  the  Rhinebeck  Bird  Club. 

ARTICLE  II 
Objects 

The  objects  of  this  Club  shall  be  the  increase  and  protection  of 
our  local  wild  birds  and  the  stimulation  of  interest  in  bird  life  in 
the  field,  in  our  homes  and  in  the  schools. 

ARTICLE  III 

Membership 

Section  1.  The  membership  of  this  Club  shall  consist  of  Junior 
Members,  Associate  Members,  Active  Members,  Sustaining  Members, 
Life  Members,  Patrons  and  Honorary  Members. 

Section  2.  Any  boy  or  girl  under  the  age  of  16  residing  in  the 
Town  of  Rhinebeck  may  become  a Junior  Member  by  paying  ten 
cents  annually. 

Section  3.  Any  person  in  sympathy  with  the  objects  of  this 
Club,  whether  a resident  of  the  town  or  not,  may  become  an  Asso- 
ciate Member  by  paying  fifty  cents  annually. 

Section  4.  Any  resident  of  the  Town  of  Rhinebeck  may  become 
an  Active  Member,  on  election  by  the  Board  of  Directors  and  pay- 
ment of  fifty  cents  annually. 

Section  5.  Any  person  in  sympathy  with  the  objects  of  this 
Club  may  become  a Sustaining  Member  upon  payment  of  five  dollars 
annually  and  upon  election  by  the  Board  of  Directors. 

Section  6.  Any  person  in  sympathy  with  the  objects  of  this 
Club  may  become  a Life  Member  upon  payment  of  twenty-five  dol- 
lars at  one  time  and  upon  election  by  the  Board  of  Directors. 


57 


Section  7.  Any  person  in  sympathy  with  the  objects  of  this 
Club  may  become  a Patron  upon  payment  of  one  hundred  dollars  at 
one  time  and  upon  election  by  the  Board  of  Directors. 

Section  8.  Honorary  Members  can  be  elected  only  by  unani- 
mous vote  by  the  Board  of  Directors.  There  are  no  dues  for  Honor- 
ary Membership. 

Section  9.  The  voting  power  shall  be  limited  to  Active  Mem- 
bers, and  Sustaining  Members  resident  in  this  town. 

Section  10.  A Life  Member,  resident  in  this  town,  may  exercise 
the  power  to  vote  by  paying  fifty  cents  annually. 

Section  11.  A member  may  be  expelled  from  the  Club  upon 
the  written  recommendation  of  any  officer,  by  the  majority  vote  of 
the  members  of  the  Board  of  Directors  present  at  any  meeting, 
provided  that  notice  of  such  action,  with  reasons  therefor,  be  pre- 
sented to  the  member  and  to  the  Board  of  Directors  at  least  one 
week  before  the  meeting. 

Section  12.  All  persons  three  months  in  arrears  for  dues  will 
automatically  cease  to  be  members. 

ARTICLE  IV 
Government 

Section  1.  The  governing  body  of  this  Club  shall  consist  of  a 
Board  of  Directors  of  ten  persons,  divided  into  groups  of  five  each. 
The  tenure  of  office  of  the  Directors  shall  be  two  years,  but  only 
five  Directors’  terms  can  expire  by  limitation  in  any  one  year.  There- 
fore, at  each  annual  meeting  of  the  Club,  five  new  Directors  shall 
be  elected  by  ballot  of  a majority  of  the  members  present,  due  notice 
having  been  given  in  advance  to  all  members. 

Section  2.  Only  Active  Members,  Sustaining  Members  resident 
in  this  town  and  Life  Members  paying  fifty  cents  annually  are  eligible 
to  the  Directorship,  and  no  person  in  arrears  of  payment  of  annual 
dues  will  be  eligible. 

Section  3.  The  Board  of  Directors  shall  elect  at  its  annual 
meeting,  from  its  own  members,  by  ballot  and  a majority  vote,  a 
President,  a First  Vice-President,  a Second  Vice-President,  a Secre- 
tary, a Treasurer  and  a General  Manager. 

Section  5.  Vacancies  occurring  in  the  Board  of  Directors  may 
be  filled  by  the  President  to  complete  the  year  in  which  they  occur. 

Section  6.  At  the  annual  meeting  any  member  may  suggest 
candidates  to  fill  vacancies  in  the  Board  of  Directors. 

Section  7.  The  President  may  at  any  time  appoint  committees 
for  specified  purposes  consisting  of  members  of  the  Club. 

ARTICLE  V 
Duties  of  Officers 

Section  1.  The  duties  of  officers  shall  be  such  as  pertain  to 
their  respective  offices  in  similar  clubs.  The  President  shall  be 
ex-officio  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Directors. 

Section  2.  Vice-Presidents  shall  perform  the  duties  of  the 
President,  in  hjs  absence,  in  order  of  seniority  of  office. 


58 


Section  3.  The  Secretary  shall  record  the  proceedings  of  the 
Club  and  of  its  Board  of  Directors  in  books  to  be  kept  for  that 
purpose;  shall  have  charge  of  the  records  of  the  Club  and  of  its 
publications;  shall  conduct  the  correspondence  of  the  Club,  and  keep 
record  thereof;  shall  inform  members,  Directors  and  officers  of  their 
election,  and  shall  give  notice  of  all  meetings,  and  inform  officers  of 
all  matters  requiring  their  attention. 

Section  4.  The  Treasurer  shall  collect  all  bills  and  assessments 
due  the  Club;  shall  pay  from  the  funds  of  the  Club  all  bills  duly 
approved  by  the  President  or  General  Manager,  and  shall  send  to 
the  Secretary  at  least  once  a month  the  names  and  addresses  of  all 
new  members.  He  shall  furnish,  at  the  request  of  the  President  or 
Board  of  Directors,  a statement  of  the  financial  condition  of  the  Club. 

Section  5.  The  General  Manager  shall  have  general  oversight 
of  the  activities  planned  by  the  Club  for  carrying  on  its  work  as 
indicated  in  Article  II.  This  office  may  be  held  jointly,  if  advisable, 
with  any  of  the  above. 


ARTICLE  VI 
Meetings 

Section  1.  There  shall  be  a regular  meeting  of  the  Club  on 
the  third  Wednesday  of  every  other  month:  in  January,  March,  May, 
July,  September  and  November.  The  November  meeting  shall  be  the 
annual  meeting.  A notice  of  each  regular  meeting  shall  be  printed 
in  The  Rhinebeck  Gazette  immediately  before  such  meeting. 

Section  2.  A notice  of  the  annual  meeting  shall  be  mailed  to 
each  member  not  less  than  ten  days  prior  to  such  meeting. 

Section  3.  A special  meeting  may  be  called  at  any  time  on 
three  days  notice,  by  the  President,  by  the  General  Manager,  or  on  a 
written  application  signed  by  three  members  of  the  Board  of 
Directors. 

Section  4.  Nine  members  shall  constitute  a quorum  at  any 
meeting  of  the  Club. 

Section  5.  Meetings  of  the  Board  of  Directors  may  be  held  at 
such  times  as  may  be  appointed  by  the  President,  or  in  his  absence, 
by  the  Secretary,  and  two  days’  notice  of  such  meetings  shall  be 
given.  Three  members  of  the  Board  of  Directors  shall  constitute  a 
quorum  at  their  meetings. 

Section  6.  The  order  of  business  shall  be  as  follows: 

Reading  records  of  previous  meeting.  May  be  dispensed  with 
by  majority  vote. 

Reports  by  officers  in  order  as  in  Article  IV,  Sec.  3. 

Reports  of  committees. 

Reading  of  communications. 

Election  of  members. 

Unfinished  business. 

New  business. 


59 


ARTICLE  VII 

Amendments 


Amendments  or  alterations  of  the  Constitution  may  be  made  by 
a two-thirds  vote  of  the  members  present  at  any  meeting,  provided 
written  notice  of  the  proposed  change  shall  have  been  sent  to  every 
member  of  the  Club  not  less  than  four  days  prior  to  said  meeting. 


Classes  of  Membership 


Patron 
Life  - - 

Sustaining 
Associate  - 
Active  - - 

Junior  - - 


$100.00  In  One  Payment 
$25.00  In  One  Payment 
- $5.00  Annually 
50c  Annually 
50c  Annually 
10c  Annually 


60 


List  of  Members 


Active 


Abbott,  Clinton  G. 

Abbott,  Mrs.  Clinton  G. 
Applegate,  Mrs.  J.  Florence 
Asher,  J.  Raymond 
Barber,  Lewis  B. 

Barber,  Mrs.  Lewis  B. 

Brown,  William  K. 

Connor,  Miss  Charlotte  M. 
Cookingham,  Mrs.  George  F. 
Crosby,  Mrs.  Ernest  H. 

Decker,  Philmore 
Decker,  Robert  G. 

Decker,  Mrs.  Robert  G. 
deLaporte,  Theodore 
deLaporte,  Mrs.  Theodore 
Dimmick,  Miss  Rose 
Fellows,  Miss  Jennie 
Fisher,  Mrs.  W.  G. 

Foster,  W.  W. 

Foster,  Mrs.  W.  W. 

Gallup,  James  W. 

Goodell,  Dr.  James  F. 

Goodell,  Mrs.  James  F. 
Hadden,  W.  A. 

Hamlin,  Mrs.  J.  C. 

Hawkins,  W.  W. 

Herrick,  Frank 
Herrick,  Mrs.  Frank 
Irvis,  Mrs.  C.  M. 

Johnston,  Mrs.  Robert 
Knowles,  William 
Latson,  Miss  Lilian  B. 

Lawson,  Richard 
Little,  Rev.  Francis  K. 

Little,  Mrs.  Francis  K. 

Lynch,  Miss  Ada  C. 

Yost, 


Lynch,  Miss  Elizabeth  M. 
McCarty,  Mrs.  Charles  E. 
McCarty,  Miss  Helen 
Mann,  Alexander 
Merritt,  Douglas 
Mitchell,  Rev.  L.  A.,  D.  D. 
Mitchell,  Mrs.  L.  A. 
Montgomery,  Miss  Margaret 
Moore,  John  W. 

Mulrein,  Mrs.  James 
Odell,  Miss  Mae 
Olmsted,  Miss  Julia 
Olmsted,  Miss  Mary 
Pells,  Miss  Helen 
Pennington,  C.  F. 

Philbrick,  B.  W. 

Pullen,  Ernest  C. 

Rafter,  Mrs.  Katherine  M. 
Reed,  Miss  Anna 
Reed,  Miss  Julia 
Rikert,  R.  Raymond 
Robinson,  Thomas  A. 

Sheldon,  Dr.  Thomas 
Snyder,  Mrs.  Frank  R. 

Strong,  Jacob  H. 

Strong,  Mrs.  Jacob  H. 

Suckley,  Miss  Margaret 
Sullivan,  Patrick  J. 

Traver,  Miss  Emma  F. 
Tremper,  Benjamin 
Van  Etten,  Mrs.  Sarah  H. 

Van  Vliet,  Miss  Clara  Tremper 
Van  Vredenburgh,  Mrs.  Lee 
Watt,  Duncan 
Wells,  Mrs.  Eugene 
Wells,  Miss  Carolyn 
William 


61 


Associate 


Barbey,  Henry  G.,  Katonah,  N.  Y. 

Boomhower,  Rev.  W.  G., 

Troy,  N.  Y. 
Clark,  W.  N.,  High  Bridge,  N.  Y. 
Crosby,  Miss  Grace  A., 

New  York  City 
Crysler,  Miss  Catherine, 

Hawthorne,  N.  Y. 
Crysler,  E.  M.,  Hawthorne,  N.  Y. 
de  Billier,  Miss  A., 

New  York  City 

Frost,  Allen,  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y. 

Heermance,  Martin, 

Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y. 

Kuser,  Anthony  R., 

Bernardsville,  N.  J. 


Kuser,  Mrs.  Anthony  R., 

Bernardsville,  N.  J. 
Kuser,  J.  D.,  Bernardsville,  N.  J. 
Nichols,  John  Treadwell, 

New  York  City 
Platt,  Edmund,  Po’keepsie,  N.  Y. 
Suckley,  Miss  Elizabeth  M., 

New  York  City 
Troy,  Peter  H.,  Po’keepsie,  N.  Y. 
Wagstaff,  C.  DuBois, 

New  York  City 
Wagstaff,  Oliver  C., 

New  York  City 

Webb,  J.  G., 

Clinton  Corners,  N.  Y. 
Willard,  Miss  Mary  L., 

New  York  City 


Sustaining 


Astor,  Mrs.  Vincent 
Dows,  Tracy 
Dows,  Mrs.  Tracy 
Hoe,  Mrs.  Richard  M. 
Huntingfield,  Lady 

Olin, 


Kip,  Garrett  B. 

Kip,  W.  Ruloff 
Landon,  Major  Francis  G. 
Merritt,  Mrs.  Douglas 
Miller,  Dr.  George  N. 

Col.  S.  H. 


Crosby,  Maunsell  S. 

Delano,  Warren 
Hoyt,  Gerald  L. 

Huntington,  Mrs.  Robert  P. 
Mills,  Mrs.  Ruth 
Morgan,  Mrs.  Gerald 
Morton,  Mrs.  Levi  P. 


Life 

Redmond,  Geraldyn 
Redmond,  Geraldyn  L. 
Redmond,  Johnston  L. 

Rogers,  Archibald 
Vanderbilt,  Frederick  W. 
Vanderbilt,  Mrs.  Frederick  W. 
Zabriskie,  Mrs.  Andrew  C. 


62 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 


